WHEN the Toucan is in full flight, it brings a lot of colour into the lives of York schoolchildren.

Toucan Archive Storage on the Elvington industrial estate has set about proving to schools paper recycling can be fun and at the same time bring their school cash benefits.

So successful has been, the project that the company has set its sights on the Best Business and Education Link and Small Business Of The Year categories in the 2006 Press Business Awards.

The project was launched in May, with 16 primary schools competing for a total prize pool worth more than £1,000 to create the best poster depicting the need to recycle.

By the time Carr Junior School's Seren Livie was awarded a computer for her school and for her, a 130-piece arts set and cuddly toy.

William Bird, former City of York street environment officer and now general manager of Toucan, said: "We have begun the second phase of the project, directly involving pupils and their parents in the recycling process by giving them real incentives to improve their school."

The 16 schools each have Toucan recycling bins which the company empties weekly and separately weighs.

When schools reach the magic tonne they earn a percentage of Toucan's take, amounting to about £15 per tonne.

Businesses are encouraged to sponsor individual schools by donating their entire waste paper stocks to their totals.