MOST people will agree that recycling is important but putting thoughts into practice can be a different matter.

Many of us have been kitted out at home with bags for paper and boxes for tins and bottles, as well as the separate containers for waste that can be turned into compost.

But remembering what goes where is not always so easy and we still put far too many items that could be recycled in some way into the 'non-recycleable' bin.

But as any parent will know children are far more pro-active in pursuing green schemes and also have an ability to nag and nag adults until they do what the youngster knows is best!

That ability, which the advertising industry have identified, harnessed and quite accurately term "pester power," is being used to great effect in Hyndburn.

Forty two out of 44 schools in the district have joined a scheme in which children sign up their parents with pledges to recycle. To help it along schools get points for each pledge obtained and points mean "prizes" of classroom equipment.

The scheme is credited with having trebled the proportion of waste recycled in the borough.

That's quite an achievement and a real credit to all the youngsters and parents involved in helping to life cleaner and greener for future generations.