PEOPLE in parts of East Devon are being challenged to go for a week without throwing ANYTHING away.

PEOPLE in parts of East Devon are being challenged to go for a week without throwing ANYTHING away.

East Devon District Council has declared October 12 to 18 Zero Waste Week and is challenging residents who have a Monday or Tuesday collection to see if it is possible to produce no black bag rubbish for seven days.

That means you only use things that you can re-use, recycle or compost, and avoid using anything that you would normally throw away, either by choosing an alternative or by avoiding it altogether.

An EDDC spokesman said: "We want to find four local households willing to take the challenge. The contestants will be chosen at random from volunteers who contact us. There will be a prize for the household that is most successful in Zero Waste Week".

The challenge is only available at the moment to households with Monday and Tuesday collection days - in the Axe Valley, plus Sidmouth and Ottery areas - where weekly food recycling collections have been introduced.

If you want to take part in the challenge, please contact EDDC's Waste Management Team on 01395 517528, write to Waste Management, East Devon District Council, Knowle, Sidmouth, EX10 8HL or email csc@eastdevon.gov.uk, quoting ZERO WASTE.

And if you're not able to take part in the challenge...

You can still do your best to minimise landfill by taking care to avoid packaging when you're shopping, and recycling or re-using everything you can. Many items can be collected from the kerbside by our contractors. You may be able to take some other larger items to the local recycling centre.

Visit our website for details: www.eastdevon.gov.uk/recycling_and_refuse