The National Recycling Awards are back for 2008 and are calling for local community groups, charities and companies,  to enter, and be in with a chance of winning one of these prestigious accolades.

Organised by Materials Recycling Week, the Awards are widely recognised as the recycling industry’s benchmark and have been celebrating best practice in the public and private sector for over a decade.

With high street retailers playing an ever greater role in green issues, organisers this year, have introduced a new category for Best High Street Recycler.

Paul Sanderson editor of Materials Recycling Week (MRW) and chair of the judging panel, said:

“The high street has a massive role to play in making a more sustainable society and the recycling industry itself is making genuine efforts to improve on its poor health and safety record. The categories for this year’s National Recycling Awards acknowledge both of these trends.”

“Across the UK, thousands of businesses, charities and local authorities continue to do their good work to minimise waste and recycle, much of which goes unnoticed. We would urge them all to enter the National Recycling Awards so their great ideas can be shared with others. There really is a category for everyone!”

The awards are open to any organisation, community group or company that is affected by recycling, plays an active part in the recycling process or is involved in the production chain of recycled products.

The 2008 National Recycling Award categories are:

REPIC Electrical & Electronic Recycler of the Year
Valpak Award for Best Local Authority Initiative
Baylis Award for Best Supermarket Recycler
Wincanton Innovation in Health & Safety Practices
Viridor Best Local Authority Initiative
Corus Small Business Recycling Initiative
Best Partnership Project for Recycling
Recycling Officer of the Year
ASDA Recycling Target Success
Best High Street Recycler

Benefits of winning
The prestige associated with winning a National Recycling Award is considerable.
As well as recognition from their peers in the recycling industry, previous winners report that it has raised their profile, boosted staff morale and helped them to win new business.

Last year’s winners included:
WM Morrison Supermarkets who won the Baylis Award for Best Supermarket Recycling Initiative for its Recyclopedia guide - a labelling system which the retailer developed for its own-brand packaging. The supermarket developed a system of symbols which provided customers with information on the recyclability of the packaging components.
Preston City Council who picked up the Grosvenor Best Local Authority Initiative Award by bringing about a “wind of change” with its baked bean-themed campaign to encourage students to recycle! Kerbside recycling in the study area increased by 10% and recycling participation rates increased too.
Pendle Borough Council who smashed recycling targets with its ‘Cleaner, Greener, Safer’ campaign, despite a high number of deprived areas and limited resources, and ran off with the Viridor Recycling Target Success Award.

Full entry guidelines can be found on www.nationalrecyclingawards.com and the closing date for entries is Friday 22 August 2008.

The entries will be judged in September by a panel of industry professionals chaired by MRW’s editor, Paul Sanderson.

Winners will be presented with their awards at a celebrity-hosted black-tie gala event at the Telford International Centre on 12th November 2008.