9-Year Old Anna Marley from Portadown has won a prestigious schools competition to create the name for a new multi-million pound Waste Management Project in the Southern Region of Northern Ireland.

SWaMP2008 (The Southern Waste Management Partnership) is a partnership of eight district councils which are embarking on the project to develop new waste management facilities in the region. The competition was aimed at increasing schoolchildren’s knowledge of environmental and recycling issues and the impact that waste has on the environment. Essential new infrastructure is being commissioned to help the local communities in the southern region to maximise their recycling and to dramatically reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. 

The St John the Baptist Primary School pupil beat off stiff competition from over 230 entries with her easily recognisable and original C.E.L.L. (Cleaner Environment Less Landfill) project name and her detailed description on how it will help encourage people to take responsibility for their waste.

For winning the competition Anna was presented with a £100 hamper of environmental toys and gifts including a moonjar, a shoulder bag made from recycled drinks cartons, drumstick pencils and atlas- covered recycled paper stationery. Her school will also receive a £300 voucher to be used on environmental projects within the school.  Anna was also the proud recipient of a unique winner’s trophy, handcrafted from recycled material including a paint tin, forks and a set of antique silver spoons!

Councillor Charles Rollston, Chair of the Joint Committee of SWaMP2008 said; “The quality of entries we received for the naming competition was tremendous. Local students developed a wide range of creative original ideas that made shortlisting the winners a very difficult decision.  The judging panel were really impressed with Anna’s suggestion of C.E.L.L. as it emphasised exactly what we are trying to achieve in building a brighter future from waste.  It is time for everyone in this region to take action now to minimise our impact on the environment.”

“The new Waste Management Project will have a positive impact to the SWaMP2008 region and we hope that, by providing local young people with the opportunity to become involved in it at the beginning, they will not only have a sense of ownership of the project, but also gain an understanding of the importance of managing our waste in a safe and sustainable manner.”

SWaMP2008 is a voluntary grouping of eight district Councils located within the southern region of Northern Ireland. The organisation was set-up to create a more sustainable and cost effective way for these Councils to collectively manage household waste.

In order to meet these objectives SWaMP2008 is currently embarking upon the Waste Management Infrastructure Project that will create a number of new waste management facilities in the region. Designed to work in conjunction with existing Council organised recycling and waste reduction initiatives, the project will help to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.