Recycle Week Rewards for schools

What’s involved?

Across the country we are asking local authorities to team up with their local schools to maximise WEEE recycling in their area.

We’re suggesting that local authorities call on the help of schools in their area to raise awareness of Recycle Week by gathering WEEE recycling pledges from their local community prior to the week. When local residents follow through their pledges and recycle an item of WEEE during Recycle Week they will receive a reward token which can be used to benefit a local school of their choice.

For this reward system to work, local authorities will need to commit to staff WEEE recycling points during Recycle Week to give out reward tokens to those recycling their WEEE, so schools are not able to take part in this scheme unless their local authority has registered.

View the Schools Competition Ts and Cs (143 kb)

The Steps:

Step 1: Sign up to staff WEEE recycling points during Recycle Week by 7th May.

You could choose to staff existing WEEE recycling points at your Household Recycling Centres and/or one or more temporary WEEE recycling collection points at convenient central locations.

You will need to have agreed which WEEE recycling points will be staffed and how they will be staffed during the week before you sign up to take part, so it might be useful you liaise with partners and get approval from your Head of Service. If you are planning to offer a temporary WEEE recycling point you might find it useful to refer to section 11 of the Recycle Week Guide or to contact your local Environment Agency office to check whether exemptions are required.

The role of the person “staffing” the recycling point will be:

to record each item of WEEE brought for recycling, and
to give out reward tokens to members of the public bringing WEEE for recycling.

At Household Recycling Centres, this role could be filled by a site operative, a recycling or communications officer, or even a volunteer. If you want staff at temporary WEEE recycling points to help members of the public put items in the ‘skip/container’ you will need to ensure that they are capable and competent to do the task safely and have received any relevant training.

Information on participating WEEE recycling points will be displayed online on the WEEE bank locator and will also be printed in the Recycle Week leaflets which school pupils will leave with residents when they pledge to recycle an item of WEEE.

Step 2: Send an email to schools in your area to invite them to sign up to take part in Recycle Week by 12th May

The next step is to get in touch with your local schools to invite them to sign up to take part in Recycle Week. You might want to send this invitation to all schools, or you could target schools in certain areas, or certain school types.

To make getting your message to schools as quick and easy as possible we have created a schools “sign up” email and flyer which you can send to your key contact, or to the Head teacher in your local schools.

Step 3: Schools sign up online and order free materials by 21st May

Schools can sign online using a simple registration form.

As well as helping local authorities to maximise awareness prior to Recycle Week, participating schools will be able to enjoy:

access to free Recycle Week promotional materials, including posters, leaflets, pledge forms, certificates and school gate banners
access to free assembly materials and pupils activities
prizes for primary and secondary school pupils
chances to win great regional prizes of £500, or national prizes of £1000 worth of garden centre vouchers.

Materials will be delivered to schools by 28th May

Step 4: Participating schools raise awareness of Recycle Week by gathering pledges from the local community prior to Recycle Week

One of the key activities we’re asking schools to help with is raising awareness of Recycle Week amongst the local community by asking their pupils to gather pledges from local residents prior to the Week. Schools can order leaflets which contain information about Recycle Week and participating WEEE recycling points which pupils can leave with residents who pledge to recycle an item of WEEE. Prizes are available for pupils to encourage them to take part and gather pledges.

Step 5: Distribute School Reward Tokens to members of the public for each item of WEEE brought to designated WEEE recycling points during Recycle Week

The final date to order your Reward Tokens will be 28 May.

Those staffing participating WEEE recycling points should give out one token for each item of WEEE recycled. The person recycling the item of WEEE can then use the token to benefit a school of their choice.

Step 6: Members of the public register their reward tokens online; or take them to the school of their choice for them to register before 16th July.

Each token has a unique identification code that members of the public can can register online (using the URL printed on the token) or take to the school of their choice for them to register online.

Step 7: The schools with the most Rewards in each region will win prizes of £500 worth of garden centre vouchers. The primary and secondary school with the most Rewards overall will win prizes of £1000 of garden centre vouchers.

The schools with the most Rewards in each region will win prizes of £500 worth of garden centre vouchers. The primary and secondary school with the most Rewards overall will win prizes of £1000 of garden centre vouchers.

Winners will be announced week commencing 19th July 2010.