The Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd is reminding Durham teachers, primary school children, and parents alike that there is still time to get involved in their county-wide ‘Recycle with Michael’ initiative when the new school term starts. With collections being accepted until Friday 20th September.
Designed to divert thousands of tonnes of unwanted clothing and shoes away from landfill, local school children are encouraged to fill up as many bags as possible – a great activity to keep the kids busy over the school summer holidays – for the chance for their school to be crowned the Recycle with Michael champions in Durham.
If a primary school has already signed up to the initiative and distributed the branded collection bags before term finished then the process is already underway. However, parents who are unaware of the scheme can still help their children to fill up any carrier or black bag over the holidays and then bring it into their school when the September term begins to encourage the school to take part and benefit from the initiative.
The Recycle with Michael initiative is not just designed to teach children the benefits of recycling and raise awareness of landfill issues though. It was launched earlier this year as a great way for Durham primary schools to generate much-needed funds, as a percentage of the bags’ financial value is donated back to the school to spend how they wish. The remaining funds raised will go towards supporting The Salvation Army’s important work to help vulnerable people from all walks of life in communities across the UK.
Furthermore, the winning school – calculated as the one with the highest ratio of bag weight to pupils – will receive a trophy, certificate and a very special visit from Michael, the scheme’s mascot.
“So far less than 10% of primary schools in Durham have signed up to the initiative, so many establishments are missing out on generating additional funds for their pupils,” explains Kirk Bradley, Head of Corporate Partnerships at The Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd.
Bradley continues: “For parents, the summer holidays provide an ideal opportunity to get their children to have a good sort out of their clothes and shoes, and think about all the things they could recycle while explaining to them the importance of keeping unwanted goods away from landfill.
“We hope our competition will encourage children and their families to give unwanted items a new lease of life. The initiative not only supports local children but also local communities through the work of The Salvation Army to tackle homelessness, poverty, addiction, modern slavery, unemployment and loneliness.”
Durham primary schools who are yet to sign up to the Recycle with Michael initiative can easily do so by visiting www.recyclewithmichael.co.uk. Collections, to participate in the county competition, can be booked until Friday 20th September to allow enough time in the new school term
