DON'T let Devon go to waste, the county’s reduce, reuse and recycle partnership, is launching a new campaign to encourage people to recycle more electricals during National Recycling Week from June 21 to 27.

The campaign will be launched on Tuesday at the Brunel Road Recycling Centre with Cllr Gordon Hook and four children from Haytor Primary School in Newton Abbot.

Twenty schools throughout the county will be taking part.

Scrapman, developed as a literacy resource for Devon schools to teach primary children about rubbish, will also be at the launch and other events throughout the week.

Working alongside WRAP, the Government-funded Waste and Resources Action Programme, the campaign aims to encourage people to recycle small waste electrical and electronics equipment (WEEE) and help local schools in the process.

When residents recycle old mobile phones, hairdryers, electrical tools and other items of WEEE at one of the county’s recycling centres during Recycling Week, they will receive a reward token which can be used to benefit one of their local schools.

The schools with the most rewards in each region will win prizes of £500 worth of garden centre vouchers.

The primary and secondary school with the most rewards will each win £1,000 worth of garden centre vouchers.

Cllr Roger Croad, Cabinet Member for Environmental and Regulatory Services said: “Linking recycling with helping our local schools gives us all a great incentive to recycle more.

"Knowing that doing something small, like recycling an old toaster, can make a real difference to our community means we can all feel we are doing something to improve our environment and make Devon greener.”

Each of us accumulates three new electrical items each year on average, or 173 million nationally, but only one in five of our small electricals gets recycled.

According to WRAP, one toaster can provide enough steel to make 25 new cans.

To find out more, visit www.recyclenow.com and www.recycledevon.org for more information on recycling in Devon.