Neighbours go head to head in recycling battle

A group of residents received a shopping bonus - after going head to head with their neighbours to see who could recycle more.

The residents on Elsdon Road in Rusholme agreed to take part in the challenge organised by Manchester City Council to help boost recycling rates in the area.

One side of the road was pitched against the other to see who could recycle more, and households on the winning side received £45 Asda vouchers provided by Recycle for Greater Manchester.

One resident from the losing side who had increased their recycling the most was also given a voucher.

Residents of the street took part in the challenge for three weeks at the end of last year and were visited by City Council officers who advised them about how they can use their recycling bins more.

The winning side increased their recycling by 14 per cent as part of the project, launched as part of the Watch Your Waste Week.

Councillor Nigel Murphy, Manchester City Council's executive member for the environment, said: "We spoke to residents on the street before and during the contest, and were struck by how much they wanted to recycle but weren't sure exactly how to go about it.

"They were enthusiastic about taking part in this event and many of them came out of it with a better idea about what they can recycle."

Resident Sammy Minshull said: "The challenge encouraged me to look further into what you can and can't recycle, and confirmed that by recycling, we were putting less rubbish in the bin so there were no problems with the new collections - even with a large family.

"I really enjoyed the challenge and would like to see more challenges in the future on all the other streets to encourage others and help to keep our streets looking cleaner. The vouchers were a great incentive and I put mine towards extra Christmas presents for my children."