Reef Guardian Schools in Bowen and Collinsville have celebrated National Recycling Week with a huge recycling milestone.

Reef Guardian Schools Education Officer Carolyn Luder said the eight schools in the region had collected over 22 000 litres of beverage containers for recycling in the last two months thanks to grants from Keep Australia Beautiful, the Coca-Cola Foundation, and the Whitsunday Regional Council.

"This project has been an almighty community effort, led by the schools with support from the Whitsunday Regional Council, Cleanaway and Bert Bakk Scrap Dealer," Ms Luder said.

"We've seen the Bowen and Collinsville communities come together to make a real difference in how we deal with waste products, in particular beverage containers.

"The students are not just recycling the containers they use when they are at school, but are encouraging the whole community to participate by bringing in their used beverage containers for recycling."

Queens Beach Action Group representative Pat Garrod has joined the recycling effort and said it is very important for the environment that students and the broader community learn about recycling.

"I have been donating beverage containers to my grandchildren at Bowen State School and Queens Beach State School," Ms Garrod said. "Rubbish on our beaches can have a detrimental effect on nesting turtles.

"By recycling we will reduce the amount of rubbish that can find its way onto our foreshores and into the marine environment.

"I urge all businesses and individuals in Bowen and Collinsville to get behind this community effort and donate beverage containers to schools to be recycled."

Beverage containers can be recycled until December 2010 at Bowen State School, St Mary's School, Merinda State School, Gumlu State School, Queens Beach State School, Bowen State High School, Collinsville State High School and St John Bosco School.

Schools are competing with each other for the most beverage containers they can collect and recycle with prizes donated by Arabon Seafoods, Whitsunday Regional Council and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.