PRIMARY schools are being offered the chance to win thousands of pounds worth of equipment through a scheme to encourage recycling.

Recycling Rewards for Schools, launched by the County Durham Waste Partnership, will give points to schools that register for the scheme, based on the amount of rubbish that goes to the county's recycling and collection centres.

The number of points awarded will relate to the number of pledges to recycle that pupils get family, friends and neighbours to sign.

The points can be exchanged for things such as televisions, projectors, cameras, computers and musical instruments.

There will also be incentives for pupils to gather pledges, including free entry to Diggerland, Langley Park, and a reflector tag.

And there will be a mini-MP3 player for the pupil in each school who gets the most pledges.

The initiative, funded by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, runs until March and is part of a drive to get councils to hit the targets the department has set them for recycling.

Diane Buckle, headteacher at Framwellgate Moor Primary School, Durham, one of the first schools to sign up for the scheme, said: "This is a fantastic way for us to get really useful equipment for our school, and we would urge parents and local residents to support us.

"At the same time, it's also a fun and rewarding way for us to teach our pupils about being environmentally aware and the benefits of recycling."

Brian Myers, the Durham County Council cabinet member for waste management and waste minimisation, urged schools and residents to support the scheme.

"We can't bury our head in the sand as we bury our rubbish, hoping that it will go away,'' he said.

"We must all learn to recycle to help preserve the environment for our children.

"Households who sign a pledge are showing their commitment to use our recycling services regularly to benefit the school. Pledge forms are worthless if households doesn't start to recycle."

Schools can get more information about the campaign, and register, from campaign co-ordinator Neil Maver on (01772) 770 770 or Fiona Srogi, a campaigns assistant at Durham County Council, on 0191-383 3760.