Young people from Blackburn were given an opportunity to see first-hand how waste is recycled and the benefits it has on the wider environment. 

Blackburn Rovers Community Trust linked up with club partner, Suez for the scheme during Recycle Week.

Three members of the Suez team visited two different sites to demonstrate how a bin wagon operates

The wagon’s first stop was St Peter’s RC Primary School, where more than 100 children from three year groups got the chance to sit in the wagon.

Then the team headed to Mill Hill Community Centre, to greet participants on the Community Trust’s Neighbourhood Youth Offer programme.

The group, aged from eight to 12 years old, also took part in a Halloween-themed activity, named "Rovers Recycle" and created Halloween masks and decorations made out of recyclable objects.

Recycle Week, organised by Recycle Now, has been an awareness day for more than 20 years, and it is the UK’s biggest recycling campaign.

This year’s theme is "Rescue Me" and the campaign focused on rescuing recyclable items from heading to the rubbish bin.

In the past 12 months, across all three sites at Rovers included Ewood Park, the academy and the senior training centre, 67.23 per cent of waste was recycled.

Head of community engagement at Blackburn Rovers Community Trust, Amy Dunwell, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to the team at SUEZ for taking time out of their busy schedules to visit the young people at St Peter’s RC Primary School and Mill Hill Community Centre as part of our neighbourhood youth offer.

“The fact the children were able to see first-hand how a recycle truck works, and have their photograph taken sat in the driver’s seat with smiles across their faces, was fantastic to see!

“The purpose of the visit to St Peter’s and Mill Hill Community Centre in collaboration with SUEZ was to raise awareness for Recycling Week, and the many benefits recycling has on our environment, to create a healthier planet for ourselves and future generations.”

Key account manager at Suez, Julie Lawrence said: “Sharing our knowledge on recycling is something that as a recycling and recovery business, we pride ourselves on doing every day. 

“Collaborating with partners, such as Blackburn Rovers, who share our goal in driving forward sustainability, is something that we really value and it was great to join them with some of their Recycle Week initiatives. 

“We are committed to shaping a sustainable environment.

"As we transition towards a circular economy, equipping our future leaders with knowledge and skills about the environment is critical and we pride ourselves in doing that from a young age through interactions like this.

"It’s always a pleasure to answer the questions of young minds about our sector.”