A Kent recycling firm says an environmental awards scheme can help inspire young people to take an active approach to caring for the planet.

The Green School Awards aim to celebrate school-led initiatives in fields including green travel; conservation; recycling; and health and wellbeing.

And judging organisation East Kent Recycling is particularly keen to see nominations for recycling projects.

East Kent Recycling operations manager Matthew Farrow said: “We got involved in the awards last year, and were really, really impressed with some of the stuff the children were doing.

“We’re keen to see younger kids start to think about recycling and doing their bit.”

Mr Farrow said the winners of last year’s overall recycling award were “doing some really good things”.

The award went to the Eco Warriors team at St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School in Ashford.

Mr Farrow added that it was important to encourage children to think about recycling at an early age.

He said: “They’re the next generation of people that are going to look after the planet, so that’s something that we’re really keen to push – how important it is to recycle.”

Organised by the KM Charity Team, the 2020 Green School Awards are open to schools across the south-east.

Apart from East Kent Recycling, the judging organisations are Golding Homes, the Ethical Earth Company, Medway Council, Loop CR, NCS Technology, SGS Energy, Streetspace and Ashford International Hotel, where the awards ceremony will take place in February.

The deadline for submitting nominations is December 1. Find out more at Greenschoolawards.co.uk, and watch a video in which Mr Farrow talks about the awards here: