Youngsters across Wolverhampton are being invited to join a special squad of Recycle Rovers and work as a team to keep the city green.

City of Wolverhampton Council’s waste and recycling team joined children at Whitgreave Primary School in Low Hill to kick-off the new campaign, which aims to help families learn more about what items they can and can’t recycle.

Led by eco-friendly dog Rex Reuse and his squad of Recycle Rovers, the campaign will be teaching city schoolchildren through a fun education programme.

Families across the city support the council’s recycling collections, but sometimes items are put in black bins which cannot be recycled. The Recycle Rovers campaign aims to help people understand which items can be recycled and which need to go in the general waste bin.

Recycle Rovers officially got underway at Whitgreave Primary School today(Thurs) where pupil Kirra Milana Narkaunaite was congratulated as the winner of a city-wide competition to design the Recycle Rovers sports kit.

More than 600 entries were received for the design of the kit, and Kirra’s was chosen as a bright and friendly design which represents the council’s Reduce, Reuse, Recycle message.

As part of the Recycle Rovers education campaign, a 16-page booklet has been created, showing how the team score goals by correctly recycling their waste. The fun and helpful book has been created by the team behind the award-winning Flu Fighters series.

Books will be distributed to all primary schools in the city along with recycling starter packs. An animation of Rex and the Recycle Rovers will also be available for schools to help pupils learn about where their recycling and waste goes.

Councillor Steve Evans, cabinet member for city environment and climate change at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “We all know how important it is to recycle, but it’s just as important that we understand the best way to do it. It’s a habit we need to start at an early age and when it comes to the environment, young people can often teach us a thing or two. 

“Recycle Rovers is a fun campaign that carries a serious message and I hope our young people will want to join Rex and the team and play their part with their families.

“We know our residents are great at recycling, but sometimes the wrong things can accidentally go into the black recycling bins and these cannot be recycled. This causes problems at the recycling plant and means rubbish has to be burned or, even worse, sent to landfill.

“As a council, we’re working very hard to protect our environment and create a cleaner, greener place to live for our future generations. It would be great to see as many families as possible getting involved with Recycle Rovers and following their tips for an easy way to do your bit for our city.”

Items that can go into black recycling bins are: aerosols, cardboard, drink cans, foil packaging, food tins (empty and rinse out), glass bottles and jars (empty and rinse out), household plastic bottles, newspapers and magazines, paper, plastic drinks bottles, empty plastic packaging (margarine tubs, yoghurt pots, food trays) and empty food and drink containers (soup, milk, etc.)

Please place items for recycling loose in your black bin, do not use bags.

Do NOT put any of the following in your recycle bin: plastic bags, polystyrene, nappies, garden waste, textiles, clothing, bedding, electrical items, glittery cards, wrapping paper, laminated paper, shiny metallic paper, ribbon and bow decorations, shredded paper or any other general waste.

If you’re in any doubt about whether an item can be recycled, please DO NOT place it in your black bin.

For more information about Recycle Rovers, as well as some special messages from Rex, visit www.recyclerovers.com