WHILE some anti-social residents continue to dump their rubbish in the nearest beautyspot, lay-by or farmer's field, the new generation are being taught the values of conservation.

Getting to grips with the 'three Rs' has taken on a whole new meaning for students at Pershore High School. They have been chosen to take part in a campaign to encourage householders to 'Reduce, Re-use and Recycle', cutting the amount of waste we throw out of our doors.

Every year, the UK produces an estimated 28-million tonnes of rubbish - about one tonne for every household. Currently, the bulk of this ends up in landfill sites like Hill and Moor, near Pershore.

In Herefordshire and Worcestershire alone, ordinary household rubbish accounts for 386,000 tonnes of waste - 60 per cent of which could be reused or recycled. The charity Welcome to Our Future has been set up to help cut the county's waste and has called on the help of the citizens of tomorrow.

As part of the Rethink Rubbish campaign, students will be investigating how well waste is managed in the Vale, and are preparing a questionnaire to test the green credentials of Vale people. The students will also spend a day at the Hill and Moor landfill site to see what happens to rubbish after it is picked up by the bin men.

Three 13-year-old students, who are helping to prepare the project before the rest of their year gets involved, all showed a remarkable knowledge and enthusiasm about the issues.

Roweena Roberts said the issue was one that was crucial to people of her age. "In 50 years' time, there will be a mountain of waste and rubbish that will have to be dealt with unless things start changing now," she said. "It is something we all have to start taking an interest in."

Zoe Ogden said people should start adopting simple, practical steps to minimise their rubbish. "Things like glass, cardboard and plastics can be taken to recycling banks to help make the country a cleaner, healthier place."

Georgia Garvey said that as well as visiting the tip and focusing on local issues, the project would also have an international dimension with a link-up to partner schools in several European countries. "If people in Sweden, Germany and Holland can recycle about half of their waste, why can we only manage 11 per cent in this country?" she asked.

The youngsters have already been spreading the word. Earlier this month they addressed the annual meeting of the Wychavon branch of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England. Branch chairman Tom McDonald said: "If these waste mountains increase, it's not us who are going to have to deal with the consequences but the next generation."

Head of geography Lee Norster, who is co-ordinating the project, said that as part of the initiative, the school was entitled to a grant of up to £3,000 to improve its waste management.

"Instead of just dumping our rubbish in the bin to be taken up to the landfill, we will be encouraging the kids to be more aware of the three Rs," he said. "Reduce, Re-use and Recycle."