Dublin Corporation is going musical in its ongoing campaign to clean up the streets of the capital. The Litter Song , written by former RTE sports commentator and Olympic high-jumper Brendan O'Reilly and performed by O'Reilly and the Billie Barry Singers, is being used in a competition to awaken young minds to the litter menace.

The aim of the competition is to get the children to think about the problem by performing their own interpretation of the song. Some 100 schools are taking part and so far, says Brendan, "the few I've been to were most enthusiastic with props, dress, actions etc."

O'Reilly's reason for targeting primary schools is that "if there is to be a change in attitude, it has to come from the younger generation." The Corporation's anti-litter officer, Kevin O'Sullivan, welcomes the idea. "We are constantly looking for new ideas to keep children involved," he says. "This campaign has delivered a message to children which they wouldn't have had before, that taking part in the song has made more of a impact than people just speaking to them. However, Brendan is also discussing the harmful affects that littering has on our city with the children."

Dublin Corporation has many clean-up campaigns, but this is the first schools' venture. The competition started in March and will be judged at the end of this month by O'Reilly. The enthusiasm of the students will be taken into account and it's hoped to have four regional winners performing their song on television. A finalist will then be selected and the prize will include funds for the winning school.