PUPIL Benji Jackson is recycling ink cartidges to fund a dream trip to Borneo.

The enterprising Beaminster School Year 10 youngster needs to raise £4,000 after signing up to a four-week trip to south east Asia where he will be carrying out voluntary work next summer.

Benji said: “I will be helping with community projects doing things like painting school buildings, building fuel-efficient stoves and installing fresh water systems.

“I will also be working on environmental and wildlife projects such as tree-planting.

“We will be planting lots of trees – enough to offset the carbon footprint created by the flight over there and back, and to assist with countering the deforestation of the island caused by years of palm-oil production.

“We will also be beach-cleaning to protect the habitats of marine creatures like turtles which are being killed as a result of eating plastic bags and other rubbish that washes ashore after being dumped from ships.

“I will be staying in various camps across the island – sometimes sleeping in a hammock if I can master how to do it.”

He won’t be working all the time, the students get a chance to learn how to scuba dive.

Benji has 18 months to raise the money and has a number of fundraising ideas.

He said: “One is to raise money by recycling used printer ink cartridges but I need plenty of them and I am hoping the public and local businesses might be willing to support me by donating old cartridges.”

Benji has made some collection boxes and Bridport Tourist Information Centre and Beaminster's Yarn Barton Centre have allowed him to place them in their premises to make it easy for people to drop-off donations.