From colourful fruit and vegetables to creative recycling messages, children from across Preston have been putting their imaginations to work as part of a competition to help bring the city's food waste collection service to life.
Children from across Preston were invited to design artwork for Preston City Council's food waste collection vehicles, creating eye-catching designs to inspire younger residents and families to reduce, recycle and rethink food waste.
After receiving an exceptional number of entries, judges faced the difficult task of choosing their favourites. So impressed with the creativity on display, that they decided to select an additional primary school winner.
The competition invited primary and secondary school-aged children to create designs that highlighted one or more of the following messages:
Reducing food waste in Preston
Correct ways to recycle food waste
Encouraging residents to use the new food waste collection service
Highlighting the impact of food waste on the environment
Providing a positive message to residents
Entries were judged by a panel including Councillor Zafar Coupland, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Neighbourhood Services, who praised the imagination, colour and creativity shown by entrants.
Councillor Zafar Coupland, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Neighbourhood Services at Preston City Council, said:
“We were extremely impressed by the artwork received for this competition, which made choosing the winners a very difficult task. The children showed fantastic imagination and creativity in their designs, while also helping to spread awareness of our weekly food waste collection service.
“We're delighted that these winning designs will soon be seen on food waste collection wagons across Preston. Every week, food waste collected from residents is transformed into a valuable compost-like material that can be used in land restoration projects. By collecting food waste separately, the service also helps to avoid greenhouse gas emissions that can be produced when food waste is disposed of alongside general waste."
The winners are:
Primary School Winners
Adam (aged 6)
Kevin (aged 8)
Primary School Runner-up
Pepe (aged 8)
Secondary School Winner
Rabiya (aged 14)
Secondary School Runner-up
Emmanuella (aged 11)
Each winner will receive an Amazon Fire HD tablet, kindly donated by vehicle manufacturer Faun Zoeller, along with a £50 Hobbycraft voucher, bug hotel and trophy. Runners-up will receive a certificate of recognition and a bug hotel to encourage wildlife at home.
The winners will also be invited to visit the Council depot later this year to see their artwork fitted to the vehicles before they begin their journeys across Preston.
Residents will soon be able to spot the winning designs on Preston's food waste collection wagons as they make their weekly rounds across the city, helping to promote the importance of recycling food waste.
For more information about food waste collections, visit Food waste collection - Preston City Council.
