Council officials are celebrating the success of a new recyling project at two Dumfries schools.
And now they plan to roll out the service in primaries throughout the region.
A pilot study was launched at Calside and Georgetown schools with containers placed in classrooms plus canteens and kitchens to encourage pupils and staff to place waste into various categories including cans, paper, card and food.
Dumfries and Galloway Council say that as a result the collections general waste fell from two to three times per week to just once with a “marked increase” in specific pick ups.
The move follows the successful roll out of the new household waste and recycling service to more than 75,000 properties across the region.
Councillors visited Calside Primary to meet with the “eco kids” groups and see the scheme in action.
Members of the Global Gang School Groups helped shape the new service, including the suggestion to place containers in classrooms, so that learners can collect materials then transfer them to the school recycling bins at the end of each day.
As a result, every classroom in Dumfries and Galloway will be provided with recycling boxes as the new service rolls out over the next few weeks.
Curriculum materials based on superhero characters will also highlight the importance of reducing, re-using and recycling everyday items.
Councillor Andy Ferguson and Councillor John Martin, who are chairman and vice chairman of the council’s communities committee, issued a joint statement on the project.
It said: “We are delighted with the feedback from the pilot scheme.
“Rolling out the new service to every school in the region will help us meet our recycling targets, reducing waste and supporting the move towards a circular economy.
“It is a welcome step towards meeting our commitments under the Climate Emergency Declaration and is an excellent example of council services working together to achieve clear benefits for both waste and recycling and for our children’s education.
“Experiencing recycling in the classroom using the same system as the children will find at home is a great way to encourage good practice and, who knows, perhaps encourage them to become the zero waste heroes of the future.”
The chairman and vice chairman of the education and learning committee, Councillor Jeff Leaver and Councillor Ros Surtrees also issued a joint statement on the scheme.
It said: “This work supports our Learning for Sustainability Strategy which promotes the scheme of learning for a better world.
“As always, we are delighted with the enthusiastic input we have had for this project from the pupils and staff within our pilot schools.
“I’m sure that this will continue to be demonstrated by all of our schools across the region as we roll the project out across Dumfries and Galloway.”
