Recycling plaque presented to Bayswater school

Students at Hillcrest Primary school at Bayswater take recycling very seriously - every day they gather up old newspapers from home and carry them to school on the bus, in the car, in their satchels - to deposit in their recycling bin.

Last year their efforts generated a massive 39 tonnes of recyclable newsprint - an achievement which has won them Western Australia's first award for being the State's leading newspaper recycling school.

Environment Minister Bob Pearce today presented the school with a plaque commemorating the award and a prize of $300 on behalf of Green Recycling, the largest recycling collection company in Western Australia.

Mr Pearce said the company collected old newspapers from 40,000 homes, the Canning, Cockburn and Fremantle Councils and from 247 schools and charities in the metropolitan area which participated in the recycling scheme.

"The company exports about 10 thousand tonnes of newsprint a year to be recycled overseas, and is the only company in Australia that pays for the collection of old newspapers," Mr Pearce said.

"By their efforts, the children at Hillcrest have not only helped save trees, but last year earned more than $600 for the school, which I am told is used to buy recycled photocopying paper."

Green Recycling's Leading Newspaper Recycling Award will be presented annually to the participating school of charity which collects the largest amount or old newspapers.