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People show government a better way

  • Published: Monday, 10 November 2008

Recycling will become much easier for millions of people thanks to the winner of the government's Show Us A Better Way competition.

Winner Adam Temple:

"If it is in the database, the householder would get an immediate answer. If not, the question could be forwarded to the appropriate person in the local council. That person could then amend the database, and that way the website would gradually get more useful." 

The winning idea, Can I Recycle It, will tell people what the recycling facilities are in their area, based on their postcode. The competition asked people to invent a website that provides a useful public service using information already held by the government.

The winning entry will now be taken forward by a team of developers funded from part of a £60,000 prize fund. Four runners-up ideas to plan cycling routes, show the boundaries of school catchment areas and find the nearest postbox and public toilets, will also be built.

Five other entries will be given help developing their ideas and making a website, with funding supplied by Communities and Local Government. Four other ideas will share £20,000 for not only coming up with an innovative website, but also for building it themselves.

Cabinet Office Minister Tom Watson said: "I am delighted by the winning site, Can I Recycle It. This ingenious idea is a simple map showing you where recycling facilities are and what they will accept, so you can quickly and easily find out where to take your rubbish."

The winning entry was created by Adam Temple, aged 26 from London. He said: "Each area has a different recycling scheme with different capabilities, so it is not surprising that households are unsure what can be recycled. Local information may be of some use, but there are a million and one things that people want to know about recycling. "Having put in their postcode, the householder will get an easy-to-read version of what is recyclable and what is not in their area. After that, they could type in keywords for the specific piece of rubbish that they are concerned about."

Winning entries

Websites to be built

  • UK Cycling
  • Can I recycle it?
  • Catchment Areas
  • Location of Postboxes (in rural and residential areas)
  • Loofinder

Ideas to be developed

  • Road Work API
  • Oldie Net
  • Free Legal Web
  • Allotment Manager
  • Where does my money go?

Prototypes to be developed further

  • UK Schools Map
  • School Guru
  • Where's the path
  • Wreck Map

Further information

Full details of the competition are on the Show us a better way website.

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