Children from Littletown Primary Academy in Honiton experienced the sights, sounds and smells of waste earlier this month.

Pupils visited two waste management sites on Thursday, June 4, firstly paying a visit to the new Energy from Waste (EfW) plant at Exeter.

They saw lorries unloading non-recycled waste collected from people’s houses, then the rubbish being lifted up by a huge grab and put into a kiln to be incinerated.

After eating lunch, the children were taken to where non-recycled waste used to go - Heathfield Landfill Site, near Kingsteignton.

They were taught the scale of the problem when they toured the site in minibuses to see how large it is.

Throughout the day, the children were asked thought-provoking questions such as ‘what happens to the resources used to make something, when it goes to the EfW plant?’.

They all decided that at home, and at school, it was better to remember the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle before throwing things away. They also agreed to spread this message to other people.

Heidi Diepold, waste education officer for Devon County Council, said: “This day is an eye-opening experience for the children, and adults, to see at first hand what happens to their waste.

“Most people forget about their rubbish as soon as they put it out for the council to collect.

“This visit shows the next stage of the journey.”