The children at Durham city schools will learn what they can and cannot put in a kerbside collection box.

The aim is to motivate children and show them the benefits of recycling.

It comes as councils across the country examine how best to encourage people to recycle more of their rubbish as the country lags behind others in Europe.

'Motivate children'

A team from Waste SMART, based at Durham County Council, will organise educational quizzes and get children involved in a competition encouraging them to draw a picture or write a short story or poem about recycling.

Each child will receive a certificate to show they have taken part and a prize fund of �250 has been donated by Premier Waste, which collects kerbside recycling.

Programme coordinator Claire Charles said: "The campaign was piloted in East Durham schools where we had great success with 27 or the 32 schools taking part.

"We're trying to motivate children so that they want to take part in recycling at home as well as showing them the benefits and the reasons behind recycling."