Recycling… Keele University starts ’em young

Keele University has recently opened a new £2.9m day nursery school on campus and has installed novelty ‘smiley faced’ recycling bins from Leafield Environmental in order to promote and teach recycling practices to children from an early age. The novelty ‘smiley faced’ recycling bins come in three sizes, 41, 52 and 62 litres respectively. Manufactured from durable polyethylene with smooth, hygienic wipe free surfaces, they have WRAP colour compliant, interchangeable recycling lids and clear visual, colour coordinated graphics that encourage recycling with a smile. The day nursery is also used as a teaching establishment for nursery nurse students, nursing and midwifery students and work experience students from local schools and all are expected to embrace the recycling initiative. Along with the building design, sedum rooves and photovoltaic panels, the novelty ‘smiley face’ recycling bins play a part in the building’s green BREEAM rating, a measure of its environmental performance. “At Keele University we aim to be one of the most Sustainable Universities in the UK,” said Huw Evans, Keele University’s Environmental Manager. “We have increased our recycling rate to 44% over the last two years and hope to reach a 60% recycling rate by 2014. The ‘smiley faced” recycling bins at the nursery are ideal for children to use, and we also hope that they will have a positive impact on the children’s behaviour towards recycling.”