Rugby Schools and woodland to benefit from Yellow Pages recycling challenge - 16 October 2003
Schools are competing for part of a £50,000 prize fund from Yellow Pages in a national schools recycling campaign. Schools in Rugby will compete in this year’s Yellow Woods Challenge - a simple, educational and fun environmental campaign run by Yellow Pages, the Directory Recycling Scheme and the Woodland Trust working with Rugby Borough Council and Rokeby Schools Recycling.Schoolchildren simply bring old Yellow Pages to school for recycling and those collecting the most directories per pupil win cash prizes. For every pound awarded to schools by Yellow Pages, a matching pound is given to the Woodland Trust to help keep the UK’s native woodland alive.
Around 1,200 schools across the UK will participate in the Yellow Woods Challenge 2003/04. Rugby Borough Council and Rokeby Schools Recycling are organising this year’s Challenge and are encouraging schools in the area to recycle old Yellow Pages - featuring sandcastles on the cover - when the new directory is delivered. Schools could win up to £300 locally and then compete nationally for the chance to win up to £2,000.
The Yellow Woods Challenge 2003/04 aims to build on last year’s success, which involved 250,000 schoolchildren from across the UK, including over 6,100 from Rugby.
All participating schools are given free environmental educational materials which, along with the campaign’s fun mascot, Kirk, help bring recycling and woodland conservation messages to life in the classroom.
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity and funds raised by the Yellow Woods Challenge will help to see woodland biodiversity* restored and improved.
Bill Lewis of Rokeby Schools Recycling, said: "Taking part in the Yellow Woods Challenge last year and collecting Yellow Pages in 2001 encouraged schools and local communities to do their bit for the environment. We urge the public to help us build on the success of last year and to support our schools by giving them old Yellow Pages directories for recycling."
Councillor Ish Mistry, portfolio holder for the environment, said: "This year the collected Yellow Pages will be recycled into paper for use in schools. A great way to close the recycling loop!"
Richard Duggleby, head of external relations at Yell, the publisher of Yellow Pages, said: "The Yellow Woods Challenge is a real winner. It benefits schools, communities, councils and recycling organisations while helping the Woodland Trust to restore and improve woodland and increase children’s appreciation and understanding of the environment."
Local schools will be collecting old Yellow Pages from Monday October 20 to Friday November 28 to be recycled into a paper suitable for school use by Leicester Paper Processors Ltd. Visit www.yellow-woods.co.uk for more information about the Yellow Woods Challenge or call Rowena Billing, recycling assistant at Rugby Borough Council, during office hours on 01788 533328 or at other times Bill Lewis, recycling organiser for Rokeby Schools Recycling on 01788 815452.
Alternatively, visit www.yellgroup.com or call the Directory Recycling Helpline on 0800 671 444 (lines open Monday – Friday 8:30 – 5:00).
For media enquiries, please call Rowena Billing, recycling assistant at Rugby Borough Council during office hours on 01788 533328 or at other times Bill Lewis, recycling organiser for Rokeby Schools Recycling on 01788 815452 or Adam Billiald, the Directory Recycling Scheme, on 023 8023 6806.
* Biodiversity is an expression of the variety of living things and of the richness and vitality of our environment. It encompasses the total number of species and the genetic variation within species, together with the diversity and extent of habitats which they comprise and which support them.
Rugby and directory recycling
In October and November 2001 Rugby Borough Council and Rokeby Schools Recycling in conjunction with Yellow Pages, organised Rugby’s first ever Yellow Pages recycling competition. Last year the Yellow Woods Challenge was launched nationally and Rugby schools took part, exceeding the directory recycling levels of 2001. Over the two years, 29 different local schools have taken part collecting over 15,300 Yellow Pages weighing over 25 tonnes. Abbot’s Farm Infant School was the winning School both years. Last year they collected almost seven Yellow Pages per pupil. The target this year is to improve on last year’s totals.
Yellow Woods Challenge
The Yellow Woods Challenge is a simple, educational and fun schools environmental campaign run by Yellow Pages, the Directory Recycling Scheme and the Woodland Trust. The Challenge involves working with local authorities and recycling organisations to encourage the recycling of Yellow Pages directories, save landfill, educate children about the environment and help keep UK woodland alive.
The Yellow Woods Challenge 2003/04 aims to involve up to 1,200 schools in challenges across the UK. Schools that collect the most Yellow Pages directories per pupil can win cash prizes from a total prize fund of £50,000. For every pound given to schools in cash prizes, a pound will be given to the Woodland Trust. For further details, email: yellow.woods@yellgroup.com or call 023 8023 6806.
Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages are published by Yell, a leading international directories business operating in the classified advertising market through printed, online and telephone–based media. Yell’s products in the UK also include the Business Pages directory, Yell.com, Yellow Pages 118 24 7 and in the US, Yellow Book and Yellowbook.com.
The Directory Recycling Scheme
The Directory Recycling Scheme, sponsored by Yellow Pages, works with local authorities and voluntary recycling organisations to encourage an increase in the number of Yellow Pages directories that UK households recycle. It runs a freephone helpline (0800 671 444)* for the public to call to find out the nearest recycling point for their old Yellow Pages. Internet users can find this information via www.yellgroup.com Lines open Monday - Friday from 8.30am - 5.30pm
The Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 250,000 members and supporters. The Trust has four key aims: a) No further loss of ancient woodland; b) Restoring and improving the biodiversity of woods; c) Increasing new native woodland; d) Increasing people’s awareness and enjoyment of woodland.
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,100 sites in its care covering approximately 19,000 hectares (47,000 acres). It offers free public access to nearly all of its sites. Further news can be accessed via www.woodland-trust.org.uk
For media enquiries contact: Simon Hopkinson, Corporate Communications Officer on 01476 581112 or 07786 110003, email simonhopkinson@woodland-trust.org.uk or the Woodland Trust Press Office on 01476 581121, e-mail media@woodland-trust.org.uk
Rokeby Schools Joint Recycling Initiative (Rokeby Schools Recycling)
Rokeby Schools Recycling is responsible for the management of the recycling centre at Sainsbury’s on Dunchurch Road in Rugby. The money raised from its recycling activities is divided equally between the two Rokeby Schools and donations to local charitable organisations.
