SOMERSET West and Taunton (SWT) Council’s ‘Recycling-on-the-go’ school poster competition has been extended to allow more opportunities for schools to take part.

It aims to inspire pupils to raise awareness of the new bins within their local communities and to promote their use through the creation of an informative and engaging poster.

Poster entries can be in A3 or A4 size formats and either hand-drawn, or computer-generated.

They must include a depiction of an outdoor triple compartment recycling bin; instructions encouraging the recycling of plastic bottles and cans using the correct apertures; and the phrase ‘Recycling on-the-go’.

They may also include information about the positive effects of recycling for the environment.

Submissions received will be shortlisted and assessed by a panel of SWT officers and councillors.

The winning entrant will receive a £500 donation towards their school along with a printed and framed version of their poster, which will also be published as part of the Council’s communications campaign to promote the new bins.

The competition was launched last month to help promote the introduction of 130 new public litter bins, which are currently being installed across the district and scheduled to complete later this year.

In addition to litter, dog waste and, cigarette butts, the configuration of the new bins enables plastic bottles and aluminium or tin cans to be deposited separately, making recycling on the go easier in rural and urban public spaces.

They will replace a number of existing bins that are no longer fit for purpose and will be strategically sited to encourage more recycling and responsible litter disposal.

The competition is being supported by Somerset County Council’s Support Services for Education (SSE) and is open to pupils aged 11 to 16 attending schools within the SWT area.

It will close on January 31.

Executive member for environmental services, Cllr Andrew Sully, said: “It’s well understood that recycling preserves natural resources and saves energy, and as a local authority, it was an obvious choice to maximise recycling opportunities through the introduction of the new bins.

“The poster competition provides a great way for youngsters to have fun while learning about the positive effects of recycling and with the abundance of young talent across the district, I hope it inspires many pupils to encourage public uptake of the new bins through the creativity of their poster designs.

“I encourage all our schools to get involved and we very much look forward to seeing the submissions.”

Executive member for climate change, Cllr Dixie Darch, added: “We’re really excited to offer recycling-on-the-go for residents and tourists with the roll-out of the new bins.

“The competition is a wonderful opportunity for school children to see how their artwork can make a difference and will highlight how recycling more is a positive action we can all take to help our planet.”

Any schools with pupils who have a passion for the environment and would like to enter the competition can get a full competition brief, criteria information and poster details by emailing J.Healy@somersetwestandtaunton.gov.uk.