A company is spreading its message on energy-saving lightbulbs through children.

Croydon-based Recolight, which specialises in recycling the bulbs, launched a pilot of its Big Light Project in May.

The scheme aims to raise children’s awareness of the dangers of binning the bulbs, which contain small amounts of the toxic metal mercury, while teaching them about light and how lighting technologies have changed our lives.

So far, more than 700 schools in London and the south-east have contacted Recolight for teaching packs, including Edenham High School in Shirley and Courtwood Primary School in Addington.

Interest has come from as far afield as the Scottish Highlands and Cornwall and the scheme could be deployed nationally by the end of next year.

Corinnia Burke, marketing executive at Recolight, said the mercury issue was a problem waiting to happen now the bulbs are being sold in large numbers.

She said: “When they run out in five or six years’ time people could throw them in their dustbins and they could all end up in landfill. It’s about educating people. Otherwise the potential is for mercury to end up in our water sources.”

Miss Burke added that Recolight’s own research had found people did not know energy-saving bulbs needed to be recycled.

Shasha Khan, treasurer of the Croydon Green Party, said: “The last thing we want is lightbulbs with mercury ending up in landfill or, even worse, in incinerators, so the education idea is a good one. At a young age people will learn about the problem and hopefully pass it on to their parents.”

Mr Khan added, however, that education alone was not enough. He said: “You need to have easy access to ways to dispose of them. Even I don't know what to do with them at the moment.”

Miss Burke said the not-for-profit company, which was established by lightbulb manufacturers and recycle over 50 million bulbs for businesses in the last two years, was looking at making recycling easier for consumers.

She said: “We’re in talks with large retailers so consumer collections can happen, although we haven’t agreed anything yet.”

Recolight was established in 2005 by a number of lightbulb manufacturers and is funded by manufacturers’ membership fees.

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