Redbridge pupils are very keen recyclers. All state and most of the independent schools in the borough now have recycling banks for metal cans, plastics and paper.  Some of our primary schools even have compost bins to recycle their food waste.

Schools are provided with free recycling bins and a collection service. These bins are serviced by Shanks East London. Please contact them if your school bins require emptying.

Our recycling liaison officer, Jo Smallman, promotes recycling in schools and in the community. Contact her by email at: Joanne.Smallman@redbridge.gov.uk. We can offer sessions for all schools within the borough, for all key stages and educational needs. Topics can cover:

• Litter 
• What is rubbish?
• Rubbish and recycling
• The 3 R's

All sessions are fitted to the needs of the school, as requested and are carried out in line with the National Curriculum. Active sessions are also offered including:

• Paper making recycled musical instruments
• Other recycled arts and crafts activities
• Litter picking sessions

Other sessions and projects can be set up to deal with the specific requirements of individual schools.

Don't Drop It - Recycle It!

This term, we're encouraging Redbridge kids to think about the 'right thing' to do with their rubbish! We are running two exciting competitions to engage kids in the idea of not dropping litter, and to recycle instead.

For information on any of the competitions and events, contact the recycling liaison officer, Joanne Smallman by email: Joanne.Smallman@redbridge.gov.uk.

Redbridge students are also able to participate in a variety of national and local projects including…

• Shoe Friends LM Barry are offering all primary schools in the borough an opportunity to recycle old shoes and make money for their school. Customised shoe friends bins will be provided for collections. For every bag of shoes collected, the school will receive a payment and the shoes will then be sent to countries less fortunate than Britain to be reused and recycled.

• Yellow Woods Challenge This campaign is run by the Yellow Pages, directory recycling scheme and the Woodland Trust and encourages schools to collect as many Yellow Pages directories as possible. The directories are collected from the schools and recycled into animal bedding.

There are cash prizes to be won!

This year's competition will commence late February/March 2008. If you want more information on the Yellow Woods Challenge please contact our recycling liaison officer, Jo Smallman at joanne.smallman@redbridge.gov.uk.

• London Schools Environment Award The London Schools Environment Award (LSEA) is a challenge to London primary schools, developed to foster children's sense of responsibility for their environment. Twenty schools in Redbridge are taking part in this year's challenge, where a distinction award of £2000 and a highly commended award of £1000 will be presented to two schools in each of the 33 London boroughs. For further information,  

  If you want more information on the London schools environment award, please contact Joanne Smallman at joanne.smallman@redbridge.gov.uk.

• Trees for Africa/UK Alupro, an aluminium can recycling company in the UK, are running a campaign to increase the amount of aluminium recycled in the UK. The campaign aims to plant trees in the UK and Africa for every tonne of aluminium recycled in schools. A number of schools in Redbridge have joined this campaign that will give Redbridge a native tree for every tonne of aluminium drink cans and foil recycled, at the same time as helping to grow trees in a sustainable forest project in West Africa.

If you want more information on the Trees for Africa/UK campaign please click on Useful Links.