Running from November 2025 to March 2026, the programme teaches children how reducing food waste helps the environment and why using their food waste caddy at home is important.
Bonster, the friendly food-waste-eating monster, is touring primary schools across East Devon as part of Recycle Devon’s Waste Education Programme.
Running from November 2025 to March 2026, the programme teaches children how reducing food waste helps the environment and why using their food waste caddy at home is important.
This week, pupils at Woodbury Salterton Church of England Primary School enjoyed an energetic assembly delivered by educators from Resource Futures. Through interactive storytelling, children learned how everyday scraps – such as peelings, leftovers and cores – can be recycled in their food waste caddy. They also discovered what happens to food waste after collection and took home Bonster-themed activity sheets and stickers to help share the message with their families.
Although food waste collections are available across East Devon, a 2022 study showed that nearly a third of the county’s black bin waste is still food waste – and most of it is avoidable. Encouraging children to check whether their families are using their caddy is a key part of reducing this.
Following the assembly, parents and carers were able to collect a food waste caddy if they needed one and learn more about recycling at home.
Councillor Geoff Jung, Portfolio Holder Environment – Operations, East Devon District Council, said: “Recycle Devon’s Waste Education Programme is a fantastic way to help children understand the importance of cutting down on food waste and, when waste can’t be avoided, using their caddies to support the environment. Bonster brings this message to life in such a fun and memorable way. If families across East Devon make small changes – wasting less food and recycling what they can – we can make a big difference together.”
Bonster is based on a children’s story created by Torbay Council and Resource Futures, featuring a monster who happily eats food scraps instead of letting them go to waste. The book was adapted for Devon schools with funding from the Devon Authorities Strategic Waste Committee, supported by East Devon District Council. Assemblies will continue throughout the winter and spring in schools across East Devon.
Councillor Ruth Williams, Chair of the Devon Authorities Strategic Waste Committee, said: “It is vital to teach children about reducing, reusing and recycling waste from a young age, and to do it in a way that is engaging and fun. These assemblies help embed good habits at home and set strong foundations for later in life.”
Alex Mack, Education Team Lead at Resource Futures, added: “The assembly is fun, interactive and age appropriate. Children love meeting Bonster, and it inspires them to go home, talk to their families and check they are recycling all their food waste. The follow-up visits from recycling officers at home time also give families who aren’t recycling the chance to collect a caddy or any missing recycling boxes and get started.”
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