NEW Year’s fitness resolutions will be easier to keep for the victor of Cheshire East Council’s new recycling competition.

The council are offering the winner of its Recycling Champion of the Year contest a free membership to any of the authority’s leisure centres.

Six runners-up prizes to see the Magic of Beatrix Potter at Tatton Park are also available Clr Rod Menlove, cabinet member in charge of the environment, said: “We’d like to hear from green families across the borough, doing their bit for Cheshire East.

“We want to hear the best and brightest ideas about how to recycle leftover food so that it doesn’t end up in the bin. Around one third of black bin waste is food.

“We’d also like to hear about novel ways to recycle and reuse your household waste and, hopefully, change people’s thinking to a mend and make do mentality.

“All the great ideas will be passed on to the public through our publicity campaign and they will hopefully inspire other people to try different ways to recycle and cut down on all the unnecessary waste.”

The winners of the competition, including the runners-up, will be announced in January.

To take part email: info@cheshireeast.gov.uk outlining in no more than 150 words why you should be considered as the ‘Recycling Champions of the Year’.

Include your name, address and telephone number.

The deadline is January 18, 2013.

For more information log on to: www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/recycling or call 0300 123 5011.

Festive Bin collection reminder: Normal residual bin collection Tuesday, December 25, changes to Thursday, December 27.

Normal residual bin collection Wednesday, December 26 changes to Friday, December 28.

Normal residual bin collection Tuesday, January 1 changes to Wednesday, January 2.

Normal recycling bin Tuesday, December 25 changes to Saturday, December 29.

Normal recycling bin Wednesday, December 26 changes to Monday, December 31.

Normal recycling bin Tuesday, January 1 changes to Thursday, January 3.

Christmas tree recycling reminder: Place in garden waste bin. Cut up larger trees so lid still closes, otherwise it will not be collected.

St Luke’s Hospice may collect from postcodes CW1-CW11www.stlukes-hospice.co.uk