COTSWOLD District Council has launched a competition with cash prizes set up to help communities find innovative ways to reuse, recycle and reduce waste.

The council, is working with its environmental services provider Ubico Ltd and the Gloucestershire Joint Waste Partnership, on the gRRReen awards, which launched this week.

In line with the ‘three R’s’ reduce, reuse, recycle, communities are being urged to find new ways to combat waste being sent to landfill.

The three best performers will qualify for funding worth a total of £2,000 to finance further improvements.

Cllr Sue Coakley, CDC cabinet member for the environment said she is looking forward to an exciting competition.

“I hope that this will stimulate great interest in a vital issue which concerns us all. We are rightly proud of the waste reduction efforts of our residents who recycle almost 60% of all items. However, our performance has dipped slightly and we hope that initiatives like this new competition will boost our totals again. We think there’s a lot of scope for communities to come up with their own ideas to preserve and even enhance this lovely part of the world.”

The competition begins today and runs until February, 20, 2015.

It will be open to groups of people of all ages who want to pool ideas and develop initiatives to reduce waste and also show how their improvements can be sustained.

The entries will be judged at the end of February by a panel drawn from the council, the Joint Waste Team and Ubico, and they will award £1,000 to the best entry, £700 to the runner-up and £300 to the third placed group on the understanding that that prize money would be used to continue progress with green initiatives.

Representatives of each community group can apply to enter the gRRReen awards

by emailing waste@cotswold.gov.uk, calling 01285 623123, or writing to gRRReen awards competition, Cotswold District Council, Trinity Rd, Cirencester, GL71PX, and asking for an application form.