Broken kettles, computers and DVD players were among the waste electronic items donated for recycling by Martham pupils, their families, and staff during a collection day organised jointly by Great Yarmouth Borough Council.

Students at Martham Primary and Nursery School were each given pink sacks to take home and fill with any old and unwanted waste electrical and electronic items (WEEE) they would like to recycle.

Lisa Crook, the borough council’s waste and recycling communications officer, visited the school with a van, both at the start and end of the school day, to collect the items. The school collected more than 40 sacks of small items, plus some larger items.

In return for their efforts, it will receive £200, which it plans to use for other recycling-based projects.

The initiative was funded by the WEEE Distributer Take Back Scheme, which sees businesses which distribute electrical goods help fund the costs of dealing with electrical waste.

Lisa said: “This initiative supports the borough council’s ongoing efforts to encourage all residents to recycle more and thereby cut the amount of waste buried in landfill and their collective impact on the environment.

“We live in a technological age, resulting in lots of broken or obsolete electronic devices. So it is important that everyone, including youngsters, know they can recycle this waste at Caister’s household recycling centre, rather than it going into their grey bin or sitting for months in their cupboard or garage.

“I was hugely impressed by the amount of electronic waste collected enthusiastically by the staff, pupils and families of Martham Primary and Nursery School, and I would like to thank them all for their support.”

Greg Pearce, the school’s Green Team leader, said: “The school was delighted to be part of this initiative. The children are very keen re-cyclers and we even have a Green Team of 16 pupils who ensure each class is recycling the correct materials.

“This WEEE event was a great way to include not just the children and their parents or guardians, but the local community too, and we are very pleased by how successful it was.”

Headteacher Sarah Mules added: “It is fabulous to see our children so passionate about making a difference, both in school and the wider community.”