Schoolchildren have benefitted from a project jointly run by printer cartridge manufacturer HP and non-profit organisation DoSomething.org.

This year's Green Your School challenge saw thousands of teenagers come up with eco-friendly projects designed to raise awareness about the environment and what can be done to protect it.

Chief executive officer of DoSomething.org Nancy Lublin said: "We're seeing deeper understanding of the issues at hand and a stronger desire to take meaningful offline action to curb climate change."

Winners of the challenge's grand prize came from Millburn Sr High School in Millburn, New Jersey and were given new computing equipment from HP. They could make the most of their new notebooks by connecting them with the latest eco-friendly printers and printer cartridges.

Wayne Surdam, vice-president of media and influencer relations at HP's personal system group said the student projects have had a positive impact on their local environments.

Both individuals and businesses can help the environment by remembering to recycle their used toner and ink cartridges, thereby cutting the amount of plastic that goes directly to landfill.