Pupils are to be taught to keep Bradford clean and green in a new education project starting next month.

The move coincides with the launch of the Telegraph & Argus Bin It for Bradford campaign which is targetting litter louts and persuading people to take pride in their communities. Bradford Council's education chiefs have recruited a specialist teacher and a theatre company to help drive the message home to youngsters.

Former art teacher Anne Dixon will work in partnership with schools in the district for two years encouraging children to recycle waste and use litter bins.

"It is vital that young people take responsibility for litter and recycling from an early age. They are the adults of the future," she said.

Her appointment as an environmental education officer will involve her working with children of all ages across the district's schools.

She said: "I will be working with classes to encourage them to bin litter and will be looking at ways of reusing materials such as paper and fabrics to make other things." She said: "You can make a lot of different things from waste and I hope to demonstrate that to the youngsters. It will also save schools a lot of money if they can make use of waste materials."

She will also be targeting businesses to see if the waste they produce can be used in schools for art projects.

Mrs Dixon will liaise with schools to establish in-school recycling schemes and will be on hand to offer information and speak at assemblies about waste-related issues. Her educational projects will be complemented by a touring theatre production.

The Council has appointed the CragRats theatre company to visit schools across the district to perform No Time To Waste, a play to raise awareness about rubbish and recycling.

The interactive performance, which starts next month, will target years five and six in fifty primary schools district-wide.

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, executive member for environment, said: "It is a wonderful opportunity to make children aware of the problems facing the environment both locally and globally and to develop their understanding of recycling and waste management.

"We hope to capture young people's imaginations and get them to take these issues on board by changing their attitudes and behaviour and developing good habits."