Posted on 7th May
A regular litter-picker from Coddington has won £1,000 thanks to his community-minded efforts.
Will scooped the LitterLotto® weekly national jackpot after first discovering LitterLotto® via a park bin sticker while walking his dog, Barnet.
Will, who has been off work, said the win had come at just the right time and he’s now one step closer to getting back on the road and back behind the wheel as an HGV driver.
“Get involved! It’s a great thing to do to help keep the country clean and tidy – and you also get the chance to win fantastic prizes,” he said.
The LitterLotto® mobile app has two key features for use at home or on the go, each offering its users a chance to win weekly prizes.
The first feature uses AI Waste technology to help residents determine what waste goes in which bin when they are at home. The AtHome™ feature in the app allows users to take a photo of an item to see if it can be recycled or not. The app will then guide you on whether it’s recyclable and what bin you should pop it in with a 90% accuracy rate.
Every correctly disposed item qualifies for local and national prize draws, and Newark and Sherwood residents have a guaranteed monthly £100 jackpot up for grabs through the LitterLotto® feature. Users also have additional chances to win a weekly £1,000 national jackpot.
Plus, for each correct entry, users earn LitterLotto® Coins, which can be redeemed for prizes or extra jackpot entries in the Coin Store.
Coun Simon Forde, portfolio holder for Climate and the Environment at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “Huge congratulations to Will for his jackpot win – great work! The LitterLotto® app is a very helpful tool to answer the age-old question of which bin do I pop a particular item into?
“Recycling is incredibly important; however, I know myself how difficult it can be at times to know what goes where. The LitterLotto app does the brainwork for you.
“We are seeing a really encouraging decrease in the contamination rate in our recycling bins in Newark and Sherwood. That’s partly from residents using the LitterLotto® app and partly better recycling communication to specific areas.
“It is important to look at ways of reducing contamination in bins as the risk is that if a recycling load has too much contamination, it could get rejected by the recycling facility from being processed. If this happens, the entire lorry load gets sent for incineration.
“We are committed to doing all we can to protect the environment and help improve our recycling rate. This app is just one way we, as a district, can help. Plus, like Will, you can win some amazing cash prizes as well for doing your part — what’s not to like!”
The second feature of the app means that you don’t just have to use it in the home either.
The app encourages users to pick up litter off the street and bin their own rubbish when they are out and about. Photograph litter as you place it in a public bin for a chance to win.
There are a large number of stickers on district council street bins so you can scan, bin and win there and then without having to download the app.
Volunteers participating in litter clean-ups can also take photographs of their collected items to enter prize draws, earning coins with every submission.
Coun Paul Taylor, portfolio holder for Public Protection and Community Relations at the council, added: “It is fantastic news to hear that our residents are being rewarded for all of their hard work in collecting litter and logging this via the LitterLotto® app. A huge well done to Will and thank you for your commitment to making sure our district is kept safe and clean!
“All across the district, we have so many brilliant community groups who are out and about helping our teams keep our district litter-free by organising their own community litter picks. With the LitterLotto® app, they can get rewards for their help! If you are out litter picking or are thinking of organising a community litter pick, I really encourage you to download the LitterLotto® app – it’s a really fantastic initiative.”
The LitterLotto® ® app can be downloaded from Google Play and the Apple App Store. Register your account—Newark and Sherwood residents will be recognised automatically to use the AtHome™ feature.
Photograph the item you want to dispose of using the app, and the system will tell you which bin it should go in.
Take a picture of your hand with the item you are disposing of over the correct bin and submit.
More information is at www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/recycling/litterlotto
