Bin lorry decorated with new design from Amport schoolgirl Chloe Woods

The vehicle has recently been decorated with a colourful new piece of art, which was designed by an Amport schoolgirl.

The drawing, from Amport Church of England Primary School student, Chloe Woods, was recently chosen as the winning entry of Test Valley Borough Council’s Recycling Stars competition.

Chloe particularly impressed the judging panel, which included Councillor Graham Stallard and council staff, with her bold and colourful design - beating 350 entries in the process.

As a reward, she received a surprise visit from the Recycling Star mascot last week, who unveiled her artwork on the side of the collection vehicle which services the local area around her school.

She also received a framed copy of her artwork, a £25 book token, a Recycling Stars goodie bag and £100 worth of books or equipment for her school.

Another winning design, from Oscar Cope of St Francis Church of England School, Valley Park, was judged best in the south of the borough.

TVBC’s environmental portfolio holder, Cllr Stallard, said: “Once again, the children of the borough have done an excellent job of designing the food waste poster for the council’s waste collection vehicles.

“They were of such a high standard this year that it was difficult to choose the winners.

“The winning designs make the waste collection vehicles look bright and attractive and they will do a great job of encouraging residents to think about how they can waste less food.

“A surprising amount of food ends up in the black bin but by making a few small changes, we can cut food waste at home.

“This not only saves people money, but also helps reduce the borough’s total waste and by so doing increases our recycling performance.

“Thank you to all who took part and well done to Chloe and Oscar for their eye-catching designs.”

To keep up to date with the Recycling Stars activities and competitions that are being run, visit www.facebook.com/recyclingstars.