Chorlton woman wins £500 for speaking her mind
4 June 2008
It's not every day you're thanked for letting people know what you think, but that's exactly what happened to a Chorlton woman when she responded to Manchester City Council's recycling consultation.
Alex Mullen, from Longford Road, won £500 for suggesting ways of improving the city's waste and recycling service as part of the
Everyone who responded to the survey was entered into a draw to win the cash, and Councillor Richard Cowell, Manchester's Executive Member for the Environment, pulled her name out of a giant recycling bin on Friday, May 30.
More than 22,000 people from across Manchester have now responded to the survey, which was launched in February.
Other residents have until June 14 to make their views known, and the City Council will also begin asking Manchester schoolchildren what they think about recycling.
Of those who have replied, 89 per cent have said they want to recycle, 85 per cent have said they would like to recycle plastic and cardboard at the kerbside while 75 per cent want to recycle all their food that wasn't eaten.
Another 80 per cent of people thought one refuse bin was enough for their household, while residents who recycle said they would prefer the City Council to educate and inform others rather than using enforcement.
The views will feed into major decisions about the future of the city's recycling services, to be announced later this year.
Alex said: "I'm delighted to have won this prize. Recycling is something that means a lot to me, so I was pleased to have been able to take part in this consultation, and give my views on how the service in Manchester can be improved."
Cllr Richard Cowell said: "The consultation has had a very impressive response, and Manchester residents have been particularly keen to let us know what they think of the city's recycling services as well as what they want to see in the future.
"I would like to congratulate the winner of this prize and thank the people of Manchester for being so enthusiastic about telling us their views."
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