Kent schoolchildren collect 300 wheelie bins of cardboard with DS Smith’s recycling pilot scheme

Packaging Solutions Green Solutions

DS Smith has successfully completed its Young Recyclers pilot scheme with five primary schools in Kent. Through the three month pilot, more than 1300 pupils learned about the importance of recycling and collected 1.5 tonnes of cardboard – that is equivalent to 300 domestic wheelie bins.

The DS Smith Young Recyclers scheme encourages school pupils to look after the planet by helping them to understand the importance of recycling and the circular economy through fun and engaging educational materials.

To mark the completion of the trial, on Thursday 27 January, students at Lower Halstow Primary School celebrated the success of the pilot with an assembly attended by Gordon Henderson, MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, who showed his support for the Young Recyclers scheme. As part of the assembly, pupils learned more about the circular economy and protecting natural resources through DS Smith’s ‘Let’s Go Circular!’ lesson, adapted for a younger audience. The lesson plan was recently launched at the COP26 climate conference and is designed to help teachers engage their students on the circular economy.

During the three month pilot, pupils got actively involved in recycling by bringing cardboard from home into dedicated collection boxes at their school where it was collected weekly and turned into new packaging papers at DS Smith’s Kemsley paper mill in Kent, the largest mill for recycled papers in the UK.

Gordon Henderson, MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey said: ‘I was delighted to visit Lower Halstow Primary School and see DS Smith’s Young Recyclers pilot scheme and Let’s Go Circular! lesson plan in action. It is great to see schools and businesses working together to engage local children in recycling and the circular economy.’

Michelle Crowe, head of school at Lower Halstow Primary School, said:

‘The Young Recyclers pilot has sparked an interest in recycling with the children and truly shown them how little steps can make a big difference. The children have thoroughly enjoyed the activities and Lower Halstow Primary School is proud to have been part of the pilot, which – together with the Let’s Go Circular! lesson – has been a useful tool in teaching about these important topics in a fun way.’

As Europe’s largest cardboard and paper recycler, DS Smith is committed to leading the transition to the circular economy. The Young Recyclers scheme and the Let’s Go Circular lesson plan are part of DS Smith’s commitment to engage 5 million people in the circular economy and circular lifestyles by 2030.