Every day, Britons throw away a staggering 80 million cans. And while most of us are naturally more interested in the contents, each metal container remains useful long after that quick drink or meal has been forgotten.
Many borough residents are already embracing the simple truth that we can’t carry on littering the world with our leftovers. Some 65 tonnes of old cans and tins were recycled last year and made into all sorts of new items, from paper clips to bicycles.
And to give that figure a real boost, the council’s green team are now offering a serious incentive in a new competition running throughout 2007.
Waste education officer Nick Deakin explains: “I’ve been listening to young people who say how important recycling is for them and their future, and we’ve decided to do something exciting – a competition where everybody wins!”
How it works
You can download two address labels here as PDF files (.pdf, 25kb). If you haven't got access to a printer then visit your library for some more. Instead you can just attach a sheet of paper with the details as shown in the PDF. Fill in your details and simply attach onto an empty can or tin using an elastic band or sticky tape.
Then, next time you pass a can recycling bank, drop it in, and we’ll select one at random as the winner! The prize is £200 in vouchers for you…and £200 for the borough school or nursery you’ve nominated (with thanks to the council’s partners in European Metal Recycling (External link)). There's a prize to be won every other month for the next two years
“Whether you get the prize or not, the environment is the real winner every time,” says Nick. “And don’t worry about contaminating the cans with paper – we’ll take care of that part of the process, just keep recycling them.”
There’s a recycling point for cans, glass and other materials within a mile of most homes, at many public buildings and shops.
The winners
- Congratulations to the first winner, Julie Elliott of Leigh, who received £200 in shopping vouchers for recycling her empty drinks cans. She is buying some furnishings for the house and a garden sandpit for her 3 year old daughter Emma to play in. Julie said: “This is wonderful news, I’ve told all my friends to have a go at the competition – but please tell everyone my cans are the soft drinks ones!” Julie nomiated St Peter's in Leigh to receive the school £200 prize.
- The second winner (pictured above right) was Sam Ogden from Standish. Both he and his school, Woodfold Primary, are now £200 the richer. With the help of mum Ruth, Sam put his details on an empty food can, and it was drawn out at random from the thousands collected at the council’s recycling centre in Ince. “I like to recycle,” says six year old Sam. “And I’m going to buy a Playstation with the money…” Proving he’s a caring lad, Sam adds, “But I will share it with my brother.” Sam’s something of a local celebrity - he won a prize last year for his great gardening work for Standish in Bloom. In disguise as the council’s can mascot, council recycling expert Nick Deakin took assembly at Woodfold to present Sam with his prize.
- The competition's third winner was Paul Gleave of Golborne. Paul is a governor at St Thomas School there and the money he has won for the school will go towards the eco work it carriers out. Paul told us: “It’s wonderful to receive this reward. At school, we believe it’s important to teach children about caring for the environment and involve them in recycling activities.”
- The fourth winner was Susan Gregory from Lowton (pictured at the top of the page with the council's recycling education officer) . The retired textile worker is an eager recycler and has even found a eco-friendly way to label her old cans and tins for the competition: She cuts her address from the envelopes of letters sent to her home to stick onto her empties...and it was one of these which was pulled out at random from the can mountain. As well as winning £200 for herself, Mrs Gregory nominated Lowton J&I School, where her children and grand children have attended, to receive £200 for their own use. The school says the money will be going on eco-work on projects to be decided by the children themselves.
- The fifth winners were Deborah and David Smith of Lowton. It's a wonderful coincidence that the random draw led to two winners in a row from the same place - but they are in fact related! Deborah's mum is Susan Gregory, the last winner, and both mum and daughter are keen recyclers and have been spreading the word in the neighbourhood that there is cash to be had. But everyone was amazed when the council green team turned up at the Smith's home and the connection was made to the previous winner. Once again the lucky school is Lowton J&I , where the money will go on wet playtime activities. Very well done to all.
- The sixth winner will be revealed soon - keep recycling and it might be you!
Competition rules
- Kirkless household waste recycling centre, Higher Ince, will be the venue for selecting each winner. All cans collected from Wigan Borough are taken to Kirkless.
- A winner will be selected from entries at Kirkless in the bay reserved for cans. A nominated person will be chosen to pick out a winner by hand.
- The nominated person will be independent of the Waste Management Team and those involved in administering the competition. They may be, for example, a Councillor or a household waste recycling centre operative.
- The draw will be observed by Wigan Council employees.
- Once a winner has been chosen all details will be recorded and all will be notified (winner & nominated school) by telephone or letter. Both parties will be invited to take part in publicity, which will include, but not necessarily be limited to, a photograph for the council’s website and a press release issued to the local media by the council’s public relations team.
- The winners’ name and location (not full address) will be posted on Wigan Council’s website, unless the winner requests not to be identified. The winning school, as nominated by the resident, will have their details posted online.
- The prizes will be in the form of vouchers and are not negotiable.
- All the selected cans throughout the duration of the competition will be kept in a safe holding place by Wigan Council’s Waste Services Management Team.
- The competition is administered by Wigan Council's Waste Management Team, Civic Buildings, Wigan Council, WN1 1RP
- The competition will run for 24 months, with 12 winners drawn over that period
Find out more about can recycling
Wigan Council and its partner European Metal Recycling are working together to increase metal recycling with the aim of making Wigan Borough a greener place for the future.
In Wigan Borough we are extending our can recycling facilities to maximise metal recycling. There are over 150 "bring sites" with can recycling containers which let you easily dispose of your tins, cans, foil and aerosols. The sites are at handy locations near shops, supermarkets, public houses and some council buildings. To make this easier for you, directional signs from the highway will show you the way to most recycling facilities that include can recycling containers. There is a site within a mile of most homes, so why not take your recyclables with you the next time you go shopping?
You can find your nearest sites by logging onto the council’s local recycling centres database.
