Hillingdon Council Expands Recycling Education to Primary Schools

Hillingdon Council has launched a new initiative to tackle recycling contamination by engaging primary school children in the borough. The campaign aims to educate young learners on proper recycling practices and encourage them to remind adults to dispose of waste correctly.

IMAGE: LBH

As part of the initiative, primary schools will receive a toolkit that includes a short educational video, interactive digital resources, quizzes, and games designed for children up to the age of 10. The video, inspired by Usborne Publishing’s popular 'That's not my' book series, highlights the five most common contaminating items in dry mixed recycling collections.

This new phase builds on the council’s existing 'Top of the Contaminants' campaign, which promotes responsible recycling habits among residents. By focusing on small changes in household recycling, the council hopes to further reduce contamination and improve the quality of collected materials.

The campaign was launched at Ruislip Gardens Primary School, one of the participating schools. The initiative is designed to empower pupils to take recycling lessons home, fostering positive behavioural changes within families and the wider community.

Contamination occurs when non-recyclable items, such as clothing, are placed in clear recycling bags. If too many contaminating items are present, entire loads can be rejected at sorting facilities and sent to general waste instead. This undermines recycling efforts and negatively impacts the environment.

Residents are encouraged to take a moment to check what can and cannot be recycled and to watch the campaign video at www.hillingdon.gov.uk/dry-mixed-recycling.