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The children were racing against the clock to recycle as much newspaper as they can at the recycling depot off Kenyon Lane in Moston as part of the north Manchester recycling initiative.

More than 7,000 homes in Lightbowne and Harpurhey are involved in the project. Each home is given a box to place their recyclable material including paper, glass, cans and textiles.

Boxes are then left outside their homes once a week for collection using electrically-powered vehicles to be sorted at the depot before being taken to recycling plants.

Already more than 50 tonnes of material have been recycled and the service will soon be extended to an additional 5,000 homes in the area.

Young people have been recruited to staff the project and are involved in all aspects of running the service including warehousing and fork lift truck driving which can gain them recognised qualifications.

Cllr Alan Spinks, Manchester City Council's environment chief, said: "We are committed to working with residents to reduce the amount of waste produced and to dispose of what is produced in a way which causes least damage.

"I am also delighted to see that North Manchester Recycling has created 12 training and employment opportunities for young people."