Puppets from the Happy Bin project and local primary schools have been helping councils across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough this week (6 – 10 October) to reduce the amount of waste produced by each household in the area.
The Happy Bin project started with a week of puppet shows, which helped explain to pupils why we need to reduce our waste and what they can do to make sure they throw away less.
The puppet show visited Shirley Primary School in Cambridge on Wednesday afternoon.
The shows will be followed by 6 weeks of activities to help schools reduce the amount they throw away, including getting pupils to weigh rubbish, presentations and web-based information, with award certificates for the schools to recognise their achievements.
Each school will then have a follow up visit from the Schools Recycling Bus to help reinforce the waste reduction message.
Cambridge City Council's Recycling and Waste Minimisation Officer, Rebecca Weymouth says, "The Happy Bin project is a fun way to get across to pupils the important message of why we need to reduce the amount of waste we all produce, and hopefully they will take the message home too."
The project is the first of a range of initiatives designed to reduce waste across Cambridgeshire, which local councils are developing with the help of Donarbon, a local waste management company.
Cambridgeshire already has an impressive record of achievements in recycling, having been top recycling county for the last 3 years.
However, waste from across the county could continue to grow - not just because of all the new house building, but also because existing residents produce more waste year on year - unless councils take action to reverse this trend.
Other initiatives will include anti-junk mail campaigns, working with community groups and charities to increase waste reuse, 'say no to plastic bag' initiatives and in particular information and practical action to reduce food waste.
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