A WEST Devon school has been ‘doing its bit’ for the environment by collecting used crisp packets.

Since December last year, Bere Alston Primary School children and staff have been busy collecting crisp packets, that would have otherwise gone into landfill, and then sending them off for recycling.

The free recycling scheme, set up by TerraCycle and Walkers, allows the pupils and teachers to drop off their used crisp packets and collect reward points that help raise money for local good causes or back to the school.

Once received by TerraCycle, the crisp packets are sorted and separated by material composition. The separated items are then cleaned, shredded, and made into new recycled products.

Natasha Hingston, a teaching assistant at the school, said: ‘We have a group of Year Six students who have volunteered to be our eco warriors. They give up their social time at lunch to intercept the children’s finished crisp packets, clean them and box them up. When we have enough we send them off for recycling.

‘An added bonus to the scheme is that the children also raise money for charity depending on how many units we send off. The money can then be withdrawn twice a year.

‘The eco warriors were given the choice of what to do with the funds raised in March and they decided to donate the £20 raised to an orangutan nursery. We are hoping to have raised a fair amount more in the coming six months as the amount of crisp packets being brought into the school by parents, local clubs and pubs is increasing.’

People who wish to drop their empty crisp packets to the school can do so during school hours.