A CASH pot of £10,000 is up for grabs for schools across Halton and Merseyside who are giving something back to the community.

Bids for grants of between £50 and £500 will be awarded to pupils and teachers who want to develop recycling schemes.

The Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority Community Fund, supported by Veolia Environmental Services, is looking for projects that will benefit the environment.

Clr Joe DeAsha, chairman of MRWA, said: “This is the first time we’ve made funding available just for schools. There are a lot of schools out there who are doing really good work in recycling and waste prevention and I hope we can help as many of them as possible, even if it’s just in a small way.”

Application forms are available from www.merseysidewda.gov.uk/your-waste/community-fund or by calling MRWA on 0151 255 1444. The deadline is 30th March 2013 .