Southampton City Council has reached out to schools across the city as part of the rollout of weekly food waste collections, with six schools selected to take part in a special truck-naming competition linked to short, interactive school assemblies about food waste recycling.

The participating schools are:

• Mansbridge Primary School
• Tanners Brook Primary School
• Kanes Hill Primary School
• Swaythling Primary School
• St John’s Primary and Nursery School
• Freemantle Academy

Pupils at each school are being encouraged to think of a fun, creative name for one of the Council’s new food waste trucks. One winning name will be selected from each school, meaning every participating school will see their chosen name displayed on a real food waste collection vehicle operating in Southampton.

Children have until 31 March to submit their ideas. The final six winning names will then be chosen by the Lord Mayor of Southampton, Councillor James Baillie, who will select one overall winner from each school.

Councillor James Baillie, Lord Mayor of Southampton, said: “This is a fantastic way to get young people involved in an important city‑wide service while encouraging creativity and pride in their local area. I’m really looking forward to seeing the imaginative ideas pupils come up with and choosing the winning names.”

The competition forms part of wider efforts to engage residents of all ages with the city’s new food waste service, which launched on 9 February. Southampton now has six brand new food waste collection trucks, and the Council is keen for local children to help give them their own identities.

Carol Maclellan, Executive Director of Resident Services at Southampton City Council, said: “Our food waste collections are already making a real difference, and involving schools in this way helps bring the service to life for families across the city. Giving pupils the chance to name our trucks is a fun, memorable way to build understanding of food waste recycling and encourage long term positive habits.”

Amanda Steinman, Intervention teacher, School Librarian, Forest School Leader and Sustainability Lead at Freemantle Academy said: “We are excited to promote this competition in our school. As a Green Flag school,  sustainability is something we are very passionate about. It is so important to educate the children about environmental issues such as waste and recycling. We can’t wait to  see one of the children’s chosen names on the new food waste collection truck!”

Winning pupils will receive certificates, and photo opportunities with the newly named trucks will be arranged later in the spring.