SCHOOL pupils in Greenmount proved to be talented wordsmiths with impressive recycling knowledge when they recently penned poems about the importance of recycling batteries.

Greenmount Primary School Year 3 youngsters took part in a recycling awareness campaign with Bury-based not-for-profit, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), producer recycling scheme, REPIC.

As part of raising awareness of waste electrical recycling among children and their families, REPIC invited five schools across the country to take part in the ‘Amps Advice’ creative writing campaign.

Imaginative acrostic poems – using letters from words such as ‘amplified’ or ‘batteries’ - were written by children.

Head teacher David Griffith said: “Children have an increasing amount of gadgets and toys at home that depend on batteries and they need to understand why recycling batteries is so important.”

At the end of the campaign, pupils had the opportunity to read out their poems to the Mayor of Bury, Councillor Stella Smith alongside REPIC’s CEO Dr Philip Morton and recycling awareness officer for Bury Council Talat Afzal.

Mr Griffith and Year 3 teacher Chelsea Kunce also took part in the fun. Each pupil was presented with a WEEE activity pack and a robot soft toy.

Dr Morton said: “Battery recycling campaigns are all about increasing awareness. Most batteries are small, and unless people know what they’re meant to do with them it’s very easy just to throw them in the bin – we’re keen to encourage people to think again.

“We also find that people generally want to do the right thing when it comes to recycling. By increasing awareness we have found there’s a natural link – if you increase awareness you naturally increase recycling.

“Children are great ambassadors to take the message home to their parents and carers and fun, educational, interactive campaigns such as ‘Amps Advice’ play an important part in encouraging recycling.”