Young people across East Cambridgeshire are being given the opportunity to design artwork for its new fleet of waste and recycling lorries.

The competition is being run by East Cambridgeshire District Council to help launch the council’s new Love Your Street campaign.

Love Your Street is all about making East Cambridgeshire a cleaner, greener place to be by encouraging people to reduce littering, recycle more and report environmental crime such as fly-tipping or graffiti.

Keeping streets clean also helps the environment and keeps streets safer, especially for children and animals.

Nine designs will be shortlisted and transformed into artwork which will pasted onto the sides of the nine lorries.

Councillor Julia Huffer, Chair of the Council’s Operational Service Committee, said: “This is a great opportunity for anyone aged 18 or under across the district to get involved in our Love Your Street campaign.

“We are all responsible for looking after the communities in which we live.

“By reducing littering, recycling more and reporting environmental crime, we can make our towns and villages nicer places to live.

“We would like young people to put their thinking caps on to help us create artwork for our waste and recycling lorries which encourage people to love their streets a little bit more.

“If we all make an extra effort to use appropriate litter bins, not drop gum or cigarette butts and make sure we pick up after our dogs, then our streets will be greener and cleaner.”

The council hopes colourful artwork on the side of lorries can be used to encourage people to:

• not drop litter
• clean up after their dog
• take part in organised litter picks
• pledge to keep the area outside the front of their homes litter free
• report anyone who commits an environmental crime, such as graffiti, fly-tipping or setting fire to commercial waste
• recognise that cleaner, greener streets are safer for humans, especially children and wildlife.

The competition is one of a number of activities being organised as part of the Love Your Street campaign.

Other initiatives include community clean ups, a Love Your Street survey and education packs for schools or community groups.

The council is also encouraging residents to become a #LoveYourSteetHero by taking part in local litter picking initiatives.

Designs need to be in landscape format, but can be created out of any media. The council is accepting entries until 8pm on Friday 3 May.

Entries can be submitted to the council office via post or by emailing comms@eastcambs.gov.uk.

Postal entries will need to be addressed to Communications Team and sent to East Cambridgeshire District Council, The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely, CB7 4EE. Remember to include your name, age, address and contact telephone number or email.

Competition Terms and Conditions

1. The competition is to design artwork based on the theme “Love Your Street.”
2. Entries are open to all those aged 18 or under
3. Entries are restricted to one entry per person. If you are under the age of 16, you must obtain permission from your parent/guardian before entering. East Cambridgeshire District Council does not accept any responsibility for late or lost entries. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt
4. The Love Your Street artwork must be created on a landscape piece of A4 paper, or on an equivalent digital format. Scans need to be 300dpi (a photo taken on a phone of artwork cannot be used)
5. The competition is open from now and ends at 8pm on Friday 3 May 2024
6. All designs should be submitted to the Communications Team, East Cambridgeshire District Council at The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely CB7 4EE or emailed to: comms@eastcambs.gov.uk
7. All designs should be the applicant’s own original artwork and not subject to copyright in any way
8. All designs should be submitted with a name, age, address and contact telephone number or email
9. Please note that entries will not be returned, therefore, make a copy if you wish to retain a copy
10. The winners will be announced on Monday 13 May and we will aim to have the artwork on bin lorries by June
11. The winners will be contacted by East Cambridgeshire District Council and confirmation of the winners’ names and ages will be published by East Cambridgeshire District Council in post-competition publicity.
12. By submitting an entry, the applicant accepts that their name, age and artwork will be published in post-competition publicity
13. East Cambridgeshire District Council’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. The organisation and judging of this competition is controlled by East Cambridgeshire District Council and its decision is final in every situation including any not covered above and no correspondence will be entered into
14. At all times, East Cambridgeshire District Council reserves the right in the event of circumstances arising outside of its control to cancel or change the competition at any stage
15. East Cambridgeshire District Council reserves the right to publish the artwork however it chooses
16. Entrants will be deemed to have accepted these Terms and Conditions and agree to be bound by them when entering this competition. East Cambridgeshire District Council reserves the right to refuse any entry which does not comply with these rules