A school is turning trash into treasure thanks to a recycling scheme.

For each bag of rubbish Langafel C of E Primary in Longfield collects, it receives cash from a firm called TerraCycle and puts it towards its Thrive Approach programme, which supports the mental and social wellbeing of pupils.

Claire Holmes and students talk about the scheme

More than 111,300 pieces of waste have been collected and £855.15 raised so far.

Pastoral lead at Langafel Claire Holmes said the money gave the school the chance to buy smaller, specific things tailored to youngsters' individual needs to bring them a little joy in the tough times.

She said: "As a school our priorities are in nurture and wellbeing, especially since Covid.

"The funding allows us to go to cheaper shops and pick up small, individualised resources that we might need to work with a particular child who has a like or need so we can offer a really personalised approach which is really important with children who are struggling with their mental health.

"I appreciate school systems are set up as they are – and they need to be – but if a child I am working with wanted to do a bit of baking, I can just pop into the supermarket on the way home and the next day I can offer them a session.

"I am able to just buy a small bag of flour and I do not have to wait for large scale suppliers to deliver."

The Thrive classes work with children individually or in groups and they are assessed by their development stage as opposed to age to ensure they receive the right support.

The school in Main Road started off by recycling just biscuit wrappers, but has now implemented 10 different schemes including Colgate products, Pringle's tubes and Hovis bread bags.

The waste is sent to TerraCycle – a specialised recycling company – and shredded, cleaned and turned into pellets which can then be used by manufacturers to create new plastic products, such as outdoor furniture.

Parents have also been getting more involved in the scheme by separating their rubbish at home for their children to bring into school.

Mum Emma Murrow said: "I find it fascinating what you can recycle, even down to toothbrush heads. Over the half-term, the bin was overflowing.

"I was never a big recycler but now I am, after having the bins. It is not something I would have thought of doing before.

"If there is something in the bin that shouldn't be, it frustrates me. I am like the recycling police."

She added that knowing the money goes to the school was another incentive, and being able to see it make a change.

Year 6 pupil Bethany Marshall agreed: "To see where it goes is re-assuring as it is not going to end up in landfill and the money goes to school.

"I know a lot of children, like my sister as well, have obviously benefited from it, using the equipment we have bought with the money."

Alongside her little sister Lottie, the family recycle about one or two bags a week.

The 11-year-old said: "We have a separate bag at the kitchen door. We used to put all the wrappers in the bin as you could not recycle with the normal bin but it is certainly a lot more than you would think it would be.

"I watched this programme about dolphins and plastics and since then I have been quite passionate about it and there is not really any plastic at home any more."

The school is also open for trash donations from anyone in the community and also runs litter picks in and around the school grounds.

Ms Holmes said: "Being able to raise extra funds to support this whilst recycling a whole host of waste which the local council cannot accept means that by dropping off your waste to our location, you are not only doing something great for the environment, but our school community too.

"We have been amazed by how brilliant our local community has been at collecting and dropping off their waste over the years, and I would encourage anyone who is yet to make use of the programme to start now."

You can drop off rubbish to Langafel primary school between 8am and 6pm during term time.

A TerraCycle spokesman explained why recycling in this way was important: "While almost all waste is technically recyclable, it is not always cost effective to recycle them through traditional collection methods which is why councils do not accept many materials.

"Toothpaste tubes, for example, are made from a complex mix of materials which require specific machinery and techniques to recycle, making the recycling process itself very expensive when compared to the value of the end product.

"This is why waste such as this cannot be recycled by your local council: The economics simply do not work."

For more information about TerraCycle, or to help Langafel, click here.

There are other schools across Kent collecting on various programmes. You can find them here.