Recycling sisters do it by the book

A pair of artistic sisters have used their talents to encourage young bookworms across the city to recycle thanks to a Manchester City Council competition.

The City Council asked pupils from schools across south Manchester to design bookmarks to help promote the new plastic and cardboard recycling services, being rolled out to all city residents throughout this year.

Sisters Katie, aged eight, and 11-year-old Amy, from Chorlton C of E Primary School on Vicar's Road, scooped the prize for their joint entry, both showing an angry recycling bin monster.

While Amy designed a blue bookmark encouraging residents to use their blue bins for paper, cardboard and drinks cartons, Katie created a brown bookmark urging residents to recycle their plastic bottles, cans and glass.

Youngsters will now get the message loud and clear, with 1,000 copies of each bookmark now being given out free of charge in libraries across south Manchester.

Meanwhile, Katie and Amy will be able to put their new creations into use, as both have won an environmental book, while their efforts also netted £50 of book tokens for their school library.

Councillor Sheila Newman, Manchester City Council's executive member for children's services, said: "I'm glad these two have been able to use their skills to help spread the word to youngsters across Manchester - and their parents.

"We were inundated with a lot of very imaginative entries this year, but I think these two creations captured the message perfectly."