A lucky Shildon resident is celebrating after winning a monthly competition aimed at encouraging people to recycle.
Ruth Laycock received a new laptop after taking part in the North East Recycling Rewards Scheme, which is funded by central government and private company Valpak Ltd.
Durham County Council is one of five North East councils promoting the scheme, which was launched in December 2011 and is aimed at encouraging people to recycle glass jars and aerosols.
Between now and July, three more residents who are signed up to the scheme will receive rewards for their recycling efforts. As well as laptops, the prizes also include games consoles, an MP3 player or a donation to a local community group.
Ruth Smith, external project officer at Durham County Council, who presented the prize to Ruth Laycock, said: “We want to encourage County Durham residents to recycle as much of their waste as possible so that we can reduce the amount sent to landfill.
“This campaign, which is specifically aimed at reminding people to recycle their glass jars and aerosols, offers an excellent incentive for people to do their bit.
“We’re delighted to be promoting this campaign in County Durham and we look forward to rewarding more keen recyclers between now and the summer.”
People can still sign up to take part in the campaign by calling 0844 844 4546 or by visiting www.recycle-more.co.uk/nerewards
Those who sign up will be sent stickers to put on their glass jars and aerosols before they put them in their normal kerbside recycling collection.
Each month a stickered item is selected at random and the winning resident will receive a reward.
People can also show their support for the campaign by liking North East Recycling Rewards on Facebook or following it on Twitter @NERewards.
