THIS week Devon County Council (DCC) encouraging children across Devon to do their bit to protect the planet by ‘hunting’ for common items that can be recycled but are often forgotten about. 

The Big Recycling Hunt is part of Recycle Week this week.

Now in its twentieth year, Recycle Week is the nation’s biggest annual celebration of recycling.   

DCC are supporting the national Recycle Now campaign to get schools and families recycling more. 

Children aged five to 11 are being asked to take the lead in protecting our planet, and empowering young people to become active participants in building a sustainable future.

The Big Recycling Hunt aims to shine a bright spotlight on ‘missed capture,’ and engage children and families in the quest to find ‘lost recyclables’ that too often find their way into the rubbish bin.  

By focusing on commonly missed items such as empty aerosols, plastic cleaning product bottles, plastic toiletry bottles, plastic pots and tubs, and food tins, Recycle Now wants to foster a deeper understanding of recycling in the younger generation.

Harriet Lamb, CEO of Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP), said: 'The importance of this initiative extends beyond Recycle Week.

'By empowering children with the knowledge and tools to become recycling advocates, we are not only nurturing the future but also ensuring a healthier and more sustainable world for all.

'Join us in celebrating Recycle Week and empowering the next generation of environmental champions!'

Here in Devon our Waste Education Team supports teachers, parents and youth groups with a wide range of workshops and resources which help teach our children how to reduce, reuse, recycle and compost more of their waste every day.  

Last year the team worked with 72 different schools, reaching 10,411 children and 966 adults via workshops, assemblies, waste management trips, community events, beach events and compost visits.

Devon recycles 54% of its waste and has one of the highest recycling rates in England, but there are still many items, such as bathroom toiletry bottles and cleaning product bottles, that don’t make it into the recycling container.

More and more people are recycling, so the next step is to hunt down these missed items. By recycling better, we can have a big impact on our environment.  

Recycling doesn’t have to be confusing. Here are some top tips for recycling in Devon:

► Remember to recycle these items: bathroom plastics such as shampoo and shower bottles, cleaning spray bottles (with trigger spray attached), cardboard loo rolls and aerosols

► Check with your local council for a comprehensive list of items you can recycle in your household recycling collection

► Make use of your local Household Waste Recycling Centre – you can recycle domestic appliances, electrical items, batteries, Tetra-pak and much more.