Race is on to recycle old Yellow Pages

Schoolchildren in Potters Bar are about to join in the race to recycle old Yellow Pages directories and help increase woodland in England – one of the least wooded countries in Europe*.

For seven weeks from Friday 8 December, thousands of local pupils will be taking part in the Yellow Woods Challenge – the simple, educational and fun environmental campaign for schools run by Yellow Pages, working with the Woodland Trust and Hertsmere Borough Council.

Kiri Hardiman, Waste Officer at Hertsmere Borough Council, said: “We have three schools in Potters Bar taking part in the competition to collect as many old Yellow Pages as they can. You can help them by taking your old copy along to your nearest participating school.”

The schools taking part in the Yellow Pages recycling scheme are:

• Wroxham School
• Lochinver House School
• Cranborne Primary School

Yellow Pages is offering a share of £600 in cash prizes to schools that recycle the most old directories per pupil, plus a bonus prize of £100 for the school that displays outstanding achievement in the new competition. And for every pound awarded to schools, Yellow Pages will give a matching pound to the Woodland Trust – the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. 

Funds raised through the Yellow Woods Challenge will be invested in the Woodland Trust’s most ambitious children’s tree planting campaign ever launched – ‘Tree For All’ – which aims to plant 12 million trees by 2009.

Janice Hix, corporate partnerships manager with the Woodland Trust, said: “We hope children enjoy the competition and get to know more about native trees and their importance.”

Youngsters will learn about recycling and woodland conservation through educational materials in the classroom and games on the internet (www.yellow-woods.co.uk).  Kirk, the campaign mascot and woodland minibeast, features on all activities and helps make learning fun for children.

Richard Duggleby, head of external relations at Yell, the publisher of Yellow Pages directories, said: “The Yellow Woods Challenge is a simple and fun way for schools, pupils and residents of Hertsmere to work together to recycle as many old Yellow Pages directories as possible and benefit local schools and the Woodland Trust.”

The competition closes locally on Friday 26 January 2007. For more information, visit www.yellow-woods.co.uk