London schools are being encouraged to ‘Recycle with Michael’, as part of an initative by The Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd to divert thousands of tonnes of unwanted clothing and shoes away from landfill.

Local schools that sign up to the scheme will be challenged to fill as many bags as possible before the end of September2019, for the chance to be crowned Michael’s recycling champions. The winning school – calculated as the one with the highest ratio of weight to pupils – will receive a trophy, certificate and a very special visit from Michael, the scheme’s mascot.

Designed especially for primary school-aged children, the programme is also an important way for schools to generate much-needed funds – a percentage of the bags’ financial value is donated back to the school to spend how they wish. The remaining funds raised will go towards supporting The Salvation Army’s important work to help vulnerable people from all walks of life in communities across the UK.

The scheme aims to educate young people about the importance of recycling in a fun and engaging way. The programme is supported by free downloadable school materials such as presentations, posters and lesson plans which teach environmental and charitable messages.

Kirk Bradley, Head of Corporate Partnerships at The Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd, commented:

“We’ve tried to make the scheme as easy as possible for schools to take part in. By following four simple steps, schools across London can receive a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of their donations directly into their school accounts.

“We hope our competition will encourage children and their families to give unwanted items a new lease of life. The initiative not only supports local children but also local communities through the work of The Salvation Army to tackle homelessness, poverty, addiction, modern slavery, unemployment and loneliness.”

Recycle with Michael is a simple and effective way to deal with the UK’s fastest growing source of household waste – textiles – as all donations are either reused or recycled.

Schools can sign up by visiting https://recyclewithmichael.co.uk/ to register and request bags.