LARAC 2015 Awards finalists unveiled

Now in its seventh year, the awards recognises the achievements and hard work of local authority recycling officers and their colleagues over the past 12 months.

The winners will be announced at a presentation dinner at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham on October 14 – following the first day of the annual LARAC conference.

This year’s entries include communications campaigns from Eastleigh, Hackney and Surrey, as well as recycling officers nominated from Warwickshire, Cherwell and South Buckinghamshire.

Commenting on the entrants, LARAC chair Andrew Bird commended this year’s round of submissions for their high standard.

He said: “There were some difficult decisions as the standards this year were really high. We are still experiencing very difficult economic times so it’s great to see how much commitment there is in terms of recycling.

“I think the strongest entries were probably in the communications category. It’s evidence that an effective campaign really does result in improved performance.”

There are still places available for the LARAC Conference and Celebration Awards 2014, book your place today at: http://www.laracconference.org.uk/

The awards spans six categories and will be presented following a black tie dinner and drinks reception. LARAC 2015 is organised by letsrecycle.com.

Best Communications Campaign of the Year, sponsored by FCC Environment:

• Eastleigh borough council – ‘Recycle With Daisy’
• Hackney council’s Food Recycling Experiment
• Surrey county council Textiles Recycling Campaign 2015

Best Partnership Award, sponsored by Viridor:

• Cumbria county council and Freegle
• Blackpool council Rover
• North Ayrshire council’s Furniture and Bulky Waste Project

Best Team of the Year, sponsored by Biffa:

• West London Waste Authority
• Dacorum borough council’s ‘Recycle For Dacorum’ Project Team
• Cherwell & South Northants councils

Best Waste Minimisation or Prevention Project, sponsored by Repic:

• Merseyside and Halton Community Fund Programme 2014-15
• West London Waste Authority Waste Prevention Project
• South Norfolk Reuse Events

Best New Idea, sponsored by Suez:

• Warwickshire county council Franchising of HWRC Re-Use Shops
• London borough of Redbridge: Pride of Place Scheme
• Cherwell & South Northants councils

Recycling Officer of the Year, sponsored by Countrystyle Recycling:

• Warwickshire county council – David Whitehouse
• Cherwell district council – Andrew Jenkins
• South Bucks district council – Simone Singleton