PUPILS from four school have teamed up to combat food waste.

Children from Dean Bank Primary School, Cleves Cross Primary School, Ferryhill Station Primary and Chilton Primary School are taking part in a new initiative called Fuel for School.

The scheme is part of community interest company RefUSE's Real Junk Food Project, which provides food that would otherwise have been destined for the bin.

The project was set up to highlight the vast amount of global food waste, with 'waste' food being used to create healthy meals. The company has been running pop-up events for two years in community centres, churches and other cafes.

As part of the project, the pupils will be learning about food waste, environmentalism and nutrition by setting up their own market stall each week where parents and carers can buy the food on a 'pay as you feel' basis.

'Customers' will be able to pay for the food with money, time or skills and the project has been supported by Approach Too and funded by the Big Lottery Fund.

Susie Hart, who co-ordinates the new project in County Durham, said: “REfUSE believe that all food has value."

She added: " Food that is perfectly good to eat is thrown away every day by supermarkets, wholesalers and restaurants across the North-East and goes to waste, but these schools are going to be helping stop that from happening.”