Sixty Sidmouth secondary pupils at Waste Summit on Thursday to take ‘waste free’ lunches

MORE than 60 secondary school pupils from across Devon will discuss waste and recycling in the county at a Waste Summit on Thursday (March 17).

Year Ten pupilswill represent eight different schools in Devon, including some from Sidmouth College, at the event, which will be held at County Hall, Exeter, from 9:30am to 3pm.

It will explore a variety of waste issues through a series of thought-provoking activities, talks and workshops.

Last year, more than 200,000 tonnes of material was recycled rather than being sent to landfill.

The waste summit encourages students to think about how Devon can improve on its recycling rate of just over 52percent.

Councillor Roger Croad, DCC’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Regulatory Services, will open the summit.

He said: “Many people living in Devon put a lot of effort into recycling and reducing the amount of their waste that goes to landfill, which is why we have the second highest recycling rate of any county in England.

“There’s still more that could be done and the summit aims to get pupils to think about waste and the challenges posed by the amount of packaging on modern consumer goods.

“This event enables the younger generation to consider how they can play their part and it could well encourage some of the pupils to make small changes to their lifestyles and shopping habits to make a lasting difference.”

Eco packaging design consultant Mark Shayler will provide an inspiring presentation entitled ‘Packaging, green stuff and the future’.

Pupils and teachers will also bring a ‘waste free’ packed lunch, using as little packaging as possible or demonstrating the most innovative way of feeding a group.

Since the first Waste Summit event at County Hall in 2004, more than 500 pupils have taken part in the annual event.