TEIGNBRIDGE’S Recycling Together Rewards scheme has announced its first batch of winners.

Community groups, trusts, charities and residents have all been named as winners in the scheme, which aims to reduce the amount of food waste sent for disposal and encourage recycling.

Community organisations sign up online for a free marketing toolkit which enables them to encourage members, friends and family to get involved; participants put reward stickers on their black bins to show they are part of the scheme.

The challenge is to keep the bin free of any food waste or recyclables.

Each month two top prizes of £100 and eight runners-up prizes of £25 are up for grabs to the households taking part, with their nominated community group getting the cash equivalent.

Newton Abbot Community Transport Association and Kingsteignton Swimming Pool and Recreational Association are the top winners so far, scooping £100.

Bovey Tracey Heritage Trust, Open Daw in Dawlish, Devon UK Mega, Homeless in Teignbridge Support (Hits) Foodbank, The Parish Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Thomas, Bovey Tracey, and Whitestone Social Club have all landed prizes of £25.

Individual residents have also won £25 with people in Dawlish, Whitestone, Bovey Tracey and Chudleigh receiving cash prizes.

Two residents, one in Ipplepen and one in Teignmouth, landed the top prize of £100 each.

Teignbridge Council’s executive spokesman for environment services Cllr Kevin Lake said: ‘Participation so far has been fantastic and we are delighted to announce the first round of winners.

‘We’d love to see more community groups join in and with Christmas just around the corner the prize money may come in handy!’

Statistics show Teignbridge is now collecting 75kg per household per year of food waste (average before was 49kg per household), meaning more food waste is being sent for recycling and anaerobic digestion, a process that generates electricity.

Two hundred tonnes of cardboard have been collected for recycling from homes so far and in October, 2015, crews collected 73 tonnes of plastics compared to 45 tonnes in October, 2014.

The scheme is supported by £40,000 from the Department for Communities and Local Government and is part of Teignbridge’s new waste and recycling collection service which will make it easier for people to recycle more.

For more information visit www.teignbridge.gov.uk/newrecyclingservice.