Council to teach schoolchildren the importance of recycling (From Basingstoke Gazette)
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Council to teach schoolchildren the importance of recycling
8:57am Tuesday 19th February 2013 in Local By Adam Richards
THE borough council’s environment chief hopes to harness pupil power as a positive force in boosting Basingstoke and Deane’s green credentials.
Councillor Robert Donnell believes “pester power” is key to increasing the borough’s ailing recycling rate.
He plans to up the number of school visits by the council to teach youngsters the importance of recycling – and he hopes the youngsters will be the ones to get adults thinking more about their rubbish.
Speaking at a borough housing and environment committee meeting, Cllr Donnell, pictured, said: “I want to unleash the power of pester power. “I believe one of the most effective ways we can change the behaviour of some of our residents who will not recycle or continually contaminate their bins is pester power.
“We have got to get to our children and our schools in order to educate the next generation to improve recycling.
“We are currently working up some proposals with that. We need to work a little bit more closely with the schools before we can throw that into the public arena.”
His comments were welcomed by fellow Conservative councillor Rebecca Bean, who said: “I do think we should be working with schools to promote recycling because children are the future and I think they could have a real impact.”
The council hopes that by teaching children the importance of recycling, and how to do it, the borough can continue its gradual improvement in its previously sluggish recycling rate.
In January 2012, Basingstoke and Deane was the second worst-performing area in Hampshire with figures published by the Government’s Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs showing the borough’s recycling rate at 23 per cent.
This has since moved to 26 per cent, following the introduction of kerbside glass recycling, and the rate has now jumped above Rushmoor, Portsmouth, and Southampton in the recycling league table.
Bushytime says...
9:34am Tue 19 Feb 13
I'm a teacher and we used to have a lady come to our school and give talks to the children, we rang to request this again and we were told she no longer works for the council!