ALL Watch your waste! NEWTrash Times Issue 7 LookLook outout Dan!Dan! Inside: Superstar Tubby! The labrador that’s a whole lot more! Recycling Superheroes The mission begins! Also: Phonebook competition Your new-look Record recycling Trash Times New refuse vehicles After listening to you we have given your Trash Your pictures Times a brand new look. Pupils who visited our depot in New Inn said they wanted to see part of the comic strip on the front page. As you can see we have granted this wish. They also wanted more space for fan mail and pictures. See the back page for some more great work. We hope you like the new look but if you want to see anything else let us know. Write to: Ben Payne, Torfaen Council, Panteg Way, New Inn, NP4 0LS or email: [email protected] Has Dan Can met his match? Find out on the back page! Recycle old phonebooks for cash prizes Pupils have been recycling old phonebooks for a chance to win cash prizes. Dan Can says: Schools in the county borough “Recycle your Did you know? signed up to take part in the Torfaen Council-run scheme. old directories!” The largest lake in Britain The competition is now closed. could be filled with rubbish from the UK in 8 months Schools that collected the highest number of old phonebooks per pupil will be awarded a share of £600 in cash prizes. Pupils have been using the directories to make Dan Can-theme sculptures before handing them over for recycling. The best designs will win cash prizes. The competition replaces the annual Yellow Woods Challenge, organised by Yellow Pages, which is not running this year. Details of the winners will appear in the next edition. Recycling dog becomes local superstar A luxury dog bed, £200 voucher for Tubby's lifetime he has collected more dog food and body warmer are just than 26,000 bottles. around the world. some of the gifts a recycling canine Earlier last year, Dan Can honoured has received since winning praise from He has also been showered with gifts the Labrador at his home in West Torfaen Council. and never goes unnoticed on his walks. Pontnewydd by presenting him with a Tubby the Labrador has been inundated bone. “Tubby has become a local superstar,” with gifts, messages of praise and said Sandra. “Every time we go out Since then, praise has been heaped on pats on the head since news of his people recognise him and want to pat the six-year-old with countless stories remarkable recycling feat broke. him – especially if he’s got a bottle in appearing on television and websites his mouth.” His owner Sandra Gilmore said that in and in newspapers and magazines Did you know? As much as 50% of waste in Torfaen breaks recycling rate record the average dustbin could be Thanks to efforts from schools and residents, composted Torfaen council has set a new record by becoming the first local authority in south Wales to hit a 45 per cent recycling rate. To help celebrate the new record, the number 45 was made by pupils in the grounds of Greenmeadow Primary School in Cwmbran, as part of Torfaen Sustainability Week. The aim of the first ever Torfaen Sustainability Week was to encourage people to live their lives in a more sustainable fashion. Dan Can said: “I’m delighted that we are still the best. I am so proud of all your efforts and I would like to thank you for your support. “Despite our success, we will not rest on our laurels and will continue to push for even better rates.” New recycling superheroes start work Three heroic Torfaen residents have been transformed into cartoon characters to promote recycling. Bryan McDowell, 74, of Cwmbran; Chantel Daniels, 44, of Pontypool, and Callum Lewis, 8, of Blaenavon, have joined forces with mascot Dan Can to become Torfaen Council recycling super heroes. They were picked after a search to find local champions through the council’s website and newspaper Torfaen Talks. The successful candidates are now using their powers of persuasion to CHANTEL DANIELS spread the word about recycling and take part in promotional events. They have appeared in their own comic strip, The Trash Titans, with Dan Can and his sidekick Billy Bottle and will feature on posters displayed around Torfaen. Callum has already stood up in front of his classmates at Ysgol Bryn Onnen and explained why he loves recycling. “I just want to get everyone to recycle as much as possible and I will do everything I can to make people greener,” he said. LIVES Pontypool - a little market town slap bang in the middle of Torfaen “Everyone is doing great but there is still a lot more to do.” INTERESTS Biodiversity, conservation To read more about the superheroes visit www.torfaen.gov.uk/waste and sustainable living– recently took a degree in environmental management STRENGTHS Proactive - likes to fix CALLUM LEWIS things before they get bad Superheroes on the side WEAKNESSES Procrastination - puts of refuse vehicles things off to save the world Recycling superheroes now appear on the side of refuse lorries in Torfaen. BRYAN McDOWELL Dan Can the Super Recycler, his sidekick Billy Bottle and Queen Green appear on the sides of two Torfaen Council vehicles along Blaenavon - a small town in the with a simple message urging residents to LIVES north of Torfaen full of heritage support the Twin Bin and black box recycling schemes. LIKES Recycling - wants to be a superhero like Dan Can Callum launched the new look vehicles with Dan Can. DISLIKES People who don’t recycle and throw rubbish on the ground LIVES Cwmbran - the bustling metropolis of a town in the south of Callum said: “The new designs are really fun Athletic - loves Torfaen and colourful and will help encourage people SPECIAL POWERS football, kickboxing and motocross to recycle as much as they can.” INTERESTS and his four grandchildrenSaving the world, history Dan Can also appears on the back of the STRENGTHS Council’s recycling vehicles along with simple of Dan Can A trustworthy supporter instructions about what items residents can recycle in their black box. WEAKNESSES Age - not as fast as a speeding bullet but can still shift! You can recycle newspapers and magazines, glass bottles and jars, tins, cans and aerosols, plastic bottles and textiles in your black boxes. Around 38,000 homes are now Did you know? on the Council’s Twin Bin Scheme Glass that is thrown away where recycling is collected weekly. and ends up in landfill will Household rubbish and kitchen never rot and garden waste are collected on alternate weeks. YourYour letters...letters... Prizes for Dan Can fan mail Dan says: “A big thank you to pupils from Llanyrafon Primary School in Cwmbran who sent in some great pictures of superheroes. “From now on I will be a sending a signed photograph to anyone who Tommy Tree Hero by Connie the Composter by sends in a letter or picture. Niamh Cromie, 10 Geri McNamara, 10 “The best ones will also receive a voucher and a bag of recycling goodies. “I look forward to hearing from you.” You can send in letters and pictures by writing to: Dan Can the Super Recycler, Torfaen Council, Panteg Way, Cyril the Cereal Box by New Inn, NP4 0LS. Amy Courtney, 10 Carl the Composter by Joseph Wait, 10 ONE DAY DAN CAN RECEIVED AN DAN FLEW OUT TO INVESTIGATE. AFTER HE EMERGENCY CALL FROM TORFAEN LANDED THE PARTICLES JOINED TOGETHER TO COUNCIL SAYING BLAENAVON WAS FORM EVIL POLLY STEYRENE... COVERED IN A MYSTERIOUS OH NO! DAN WHITE POWDER... MMM POWDER CAN YOU SAY? the super HA, HA, HA, HA recycler EVIL LAUGH POLLY STEYRENE THEN TRANSFORMED BUT DAN PULLED AN EXPANDABLE CARDBOARD BOX THIS MONTH DAN CAN HERSELF INTO A HAMMER AND FROM HIS UTILITY BELT AND TRAPPED THE EVIL VILLAIN WANTS YOU TO... ATTACKED DAN INSIDE. TO PREVENT HER FROM ESCAPING, DAN THEN FILLED THE BOX WITH FRAGILE GOODS... I’LL GET YOU – IT’S HAMMERTIME! GET BACK TO DOING SOMETHING YOU’RE GOOD AT POLLY STEYRENE HA! THAT’S WILL POLLY STEYRENE ESCAPE NAILED HIM! ARGHHH I’LL GET YOU NEXT TIME FROM HER CARDBOARD JAIL? MORE NEXT TIME!.