Free School Trips

We are now fully booked for this academic year!

Please contact us to reserve a date for the 2024/25 academic year.

Schools can book to visit our waste management facilities in Exeter and Plymouth. The visits are free of charge and link well with topics such as Sustainability, Looking after our World and Recycling. The visits are suitable for Year 4 and above. Contact lucy.mottram@devon.gov.uk for more details or see the information below.

“Overall the day was fantastic. All of the children came away having learnt a lot that they can use in their everyday lives. The activities were all relevant to the children’s learning and very engaging. I would wholeheartedly recommend this trip to others and would definitely come back next year.”

Mr Huxtable, Y5 Teacher, Yealmpton Primary School

Visit Plymouth Energy from Waste Facility & Combined Heat & Power

A half day visit (10am – 1:30pm or 12:30pm – 3pm) is available to the Plymouth Energy from Waste Facility & CHP plant at Devonport. These visits are free of charge and whilst we recommend a maximum class of 30 – 35 pupils of Year 4 and above, the visits and activities can be adapted for all age groups and smaller or larger numbers.

Grants are available from Devon County Council and Torbay Council of up to £200 to assist schools with transport costs.

To enquire about a visit:

Devon Schools please contact Lucy Mottram on lucy.mottram@devon.gov.uk or 01392 383519.

Plymouth schools please contact Jade Beavan (Community Liaison Manager) on jade.beavan@mvvuk.co.uk /01752 393156

Torbay Schools contact your local Recycling Officer at Torbay Council on waste&recycling@torbay.gov.uk or 01803 207680 or visit https://www.torbay.gov.uk/recycling/visit-efwf/.

Visit to Exeter Energy from Waste Facility & Pinbrook Recycling Centre

Energy from WasteA half day visit is available to the Exeter Energy from Waste Facility in Marsh Barton or Pinbrook Recycling Centre in Pinhoe for all Devon schools.

Schools arrive at 10am and leave at 1:30-2pm. A space for lunch is included. Travel to Exeter EfW can be by train as the site is next door to the new Marsh Barton train station.

These visits are free of charge for a maximum class of 30 – 35 pupils of Year 4 and above. Grants are available from Devon County Council of up to £200 to assist schools with transport costs.

Enquire below if you would like to visit the Exeter Energy from Waste Plant and Recycling Centre. Our trips book up fast! We will put you on a list and contact you when dates become available.

To enquire about a visit:

Devon Schools please contact Lucy Mottram on lucy.mottram@devon.gov.uk or 01392 383519.

Linked Resources

We have created some resources to use after your visit so your students can also share what they learnt with the rest of your school. See our page for Post-Visit Resources and Follow-On Activities: https://zone.recycledevon.org/follow-on-activities/.

It is recommended that you do this visit as part of a large topic / scheme of work. To help you with this we have written Devon based teachers resource packs. What About Waste? comprises two literacy packs written for year 3/4 pupils and year 5/6 pupils. They both have 10 lesson plans with supporting documents. There is also The Material World: a Science and Geography pack for year 5/6 themed around resource use, focussed on plastics and textiles. Check them out here.

To learn more about EfW facilities before the trip click here.