Somerset West and Taunton Council (SWT), has launched a school poster competition as part of its new Recycling On-the-Go campaign, which will see 130 new joint litter and recycling bins installed across the district.
As well as litter and dog waste, the configuration of the new bins will enable plastic bottles and cans to be deposited separately, making recycling on-the-go easier when out and about visiting towns, villages, parks and open spaces.
The new bins will replace a number of existing litter bins throughout the district, which are either damaged, obsolete or no longer fit for purpose.
Installation commenced earlier this week and is scheduled to complete in the new year.
To help promote the bins to the wider public, the council has launched a poster competition for school children aged 11 to 16 within the SWT area.
The competition aims to inspire pupils to raise awareness of the new bins within their local communities and to promote their use through the creation of an informative and engaging poster.
Posters can be hand drawn or computer generated in either A4 or A3 size formats.
They must include a depiction of an opens in a new windowoutdoor triple compartment recycling binopens IMAGE file ; instructions encouraging the recycling of plastic bottles and cans using the correct apertures; and the phrase ‘Recycling on-the-go’.
They can also include information about the positive effects of recycling for the environment.
The competition is being supported by Somerset County Council’s opens in a new windowSupport Services for Education (SSE) unit and will run until 17 December, upon where submissions will be shortlisted and assessed by a panel of SWT officers and councillors.
The winning entrant will receive a £500 donation towards their school along with a printed and framed version of their poster.
The poster will also be published and used to promote the council’s Recycling On-the-Go campaign.
Executive Member for Environmental Services, Cllr Andrew Sully, said: “It’s well understood that recycling preserves natural resources and saves energy. As a local authority, it was an obvious choice to maximise recycling opportunities through the introduction of the new bins.
“The poster competition provides a great way for youngsters to have fun while learning about the positive effects of recycling. With the abundance of young talent across the district, I hope it inspires many pupils to encourage public uptake of the new bins through the creativity of their poster designs.
“I encourage all our schools to get involved and we very much look forward to seeing the submissions.”
Executive Member for Climate Change, Cllr Dixie Darch, added: “We’re really excited to offer on-the-go recycling for residents and tourists with the roll-out of the new bins.
“The competition is a wonderful opportunity for school children to see how their artwork can make a difference and will highlight how recycling more is a positive action we can all take to help our planet.”
Any schools with pupils who have a passion for the environment and would like to enter the competition, can get a full competition brief, criteria information and poster details by emailing [email protected]create new email.
