All homes and schools produce waste. Children may have been astonished at how much people throw away, and this could be the "wake-up call" that arouses their interest. At Carymoor Environmental Centre (an Eco-Centre in South Somerset) getting children involved in active waste reduction and recycling is a priority. Carymoor tries to model waste minimisation as well as how to tackle education about waste. This programme runs alongside a wide spectrum of more traditional aspects of conserving and understanding the green environment. At the same time, Carymoor operates the Somerset Waste Action Programme (SWAP), a highly professional team of young environmental educators who go out to all schools in the county, as well as to community groups, working with children and teachers to help them learn more about the "alternative" 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), waste minimisation, composting and much more. The outreach programme is funded by a consortium of the county and district councils within Somerset. In this article, the author illustrates how to develop active citizenship through the science of recycling. (Contains 4 figures.)