2008 Award winners are listed below - for more detailed information,
click on the links for each category.
Most Innovative Local
Authority Winner - Islington Council
Islington Council found innovative
solutions to provide their residents with reliable services. They aimed to make
recycling as easy as possible for residents by arranging all recycling collections
on the same day to avoid confusion, which resulted in increased recycling rates.
New liveried vehicles with split-bodies were introduced to facilitate the collection
of multiple materials in one round. Islington Council also developed an interactive
recycling facility, i-recycle, and a Green Living Centre to educate children and
residents. Recycling facilities were adapted to suit different types of housing
and a food waste recycling service was also implemented with all schools in the
borough. An 80% satisfaction rate from residents in the borough was recorded after
these actions were implemented.
Best WEEE
Partnership Winner - Tier 1
Tier 1 provide ethical collection and disposal
of end-of-life IT equipment. Findings show that of all items they collected in 2007,
73% were re-used, and 27% recycled. They have refurbished old IT equipment and sent
to children in developing countries and helped big-name brands with their CSR. Tier
1 worked with E.ON to produce a replica FA cup trophy from old IT equipment to help
with their PR campaigns. They also helped Vodafone refurbish old IT equipment -
preventing it going to landfill and worked with them on projects with local schools.
Vodafone are now able to offer solutions to all their clients that allows them to
support the developing world or make charitable donations. Tier 1 also ensures that
confidential data is destroyed correctly during the refurbishment process.
Best LA Employee Winner
- South Ribble Borough Council: Imogen Brettell
As a waste management
officer, Imogen has genuine passion for reusing, recycling and reducing waste. Her
work along side schools to initiate recycling of school waste has lead to every
school recycling at least one material. Imogen was short listed to receive the Recycling
Officer of the Year award from letsrecycle.com. Spreading her word has led to 1,500
children receiving educational talks on waste minimisation and recycling. She has
managed to secure funding to help with the reduction of business waste. Imogen spends
her own time with residents educating them about recycling and waste minimisation,
and has even found time to for a foundation degree in Waste Management.
Young Person's
Environmental Innovation Award Winner - Charlie Artingstoll: Timbertags
Using off-cuts of wood, 16 year-old Charlie set up a business to produce wooden
tags/labels. Charlie has built his own website
www.timbertags.co.uk and has developed
the majority of his leads through word of mouth. He has re-invested profit back
into the business to advertise on Google, which has led him to receive an order
from America for 1,000 tags. He has actively researched how he can develop his business
further by attending meetings and networking events. With a long term vision for
his business, he is very keen to expand his services with the help of investors,
which he is currently seeking. Charlie recognises the need to be eco friendly and
won the 'Eco Award' at the Kent Sustainable Business Partnership Event last year.
Young
Person's Environmental Innovation Award Winner - Adam Scott: Beautiful Glass Products
Adam has established and runs his own company that makes environmentally friendly,
bespoke glass ornaments from recycled glass bottles. By sourcing the recyclables
from friends and family, he turns them into over 35 different products. Adam has
signed deals to put these into local art shops, and also sells his products at craft
shows and through his own website
www.beautifulglassproducts.com.
His intentions are clearly moral as he isn't worried about how much profit he makes,
he is more concerned about promoting the need to recycle. Wildlife trusts have also
placed large orders and Adam has won awards including Virgin Media Sparks and has
featured in the Daily Express and Cambridge Evening News.
Best Education Project Winner
- Rotherham M.B.C: The Able Partnership Project
This project began with
a landfill site, which grew into a fully fledged recycling project - including a
fish farm that is run with the use of renewable energy sources created at the site.
The site became a resource for both schools and the probation service. In particular,
it helped integrate young offenders back into the community as well as young people
that had been excluded from school. Offenders serving community service have transformed
the site and learnt many new skills which has helped them to re-enter employment.
The site's future plans include growing fresh produce to educate people visiting
the site on the importance of healthy eating. The positive impact it has had on
the region has received significant acclaim and recognition, including features
on BBC radio and a Humanity and Environment award.
Best Education Project
Winner - Hyndburn Borough Council
Hyndburn Borough Council organised
a high school recycling challenge which engaged pupils, their parents, friends and
relatives to commit to sorting their waste into new receptacles prior to collection.
The weight of material recycled was calculated each week and points given accordingly
to each school, based upon the number of people they had pledged to commit to recycle.
Schools saved up these points for new equipment. The scheme resulted in recycling
rates quadrupling across the borough. Pupils then engaged with local residents to
obtain feedback on recycling issues. They were asked to distribute vouchers to residents
that directed them to a website, where they could enter a reference number on their
voucher and win prizes. The website asked residents about recycling in the borough,
providing useful research for the council. The scheme improved community relations,
engaged current residents and the next generation with recycling issues, and raised
recycling levels.
Best Partnership Winner - West
Sussex County Council
West Sussex County Council formed a group comprising
seven District Boroughs & Councils, the West Sussex Sustainable Business Partnership
and three private waste management firms, assisted by finance from BREW (Business
Resource and Efficiency Waste). They surveyed 8,982 local businesses, and found
that the main barrier to recycling for businesses was the lack of a collection service.
The council partnered with DSOs (Direct Service Organisations) and private contractors
to operate a business waste paper and card recycling service. Monthly project meetings
were held for partners to develop the scheme, based upon the county's household
kerbside recycling scheme. Advice was published for businesses that needed to recycle
other materials, and adverts placed in the seven districts and boroughs with information
about their local recycling service provider. The partnership also improved infrastructure
at transfer stations throughout the county - including new signage to facilitate
the site's operations.
|