A 10-year-old pupil has come up with a magical way to help boost Liverpool’s recycling rate.

Lauren Eagle, a pupil at Holy Name School was the winner of a competition to create a figurehead – to be called Recycle Michael – for the city’s recycling drive. Pupils were asked to create a model or drawing depicting Recycle Michael which will be used to reinforce the message of reducing, reusing and recycling.

Lauren’s design showed a blue recycling bin dressed as a magician, complete with top hat and bow tie, with the slogan “Recycling is magic; it turns old things into new things.”

The competition was inspired by a painting by Cewkie Wenton, a pupil at New Park School,  showing a superhero called Recycle Michael. This was featured at a summit on the environment organised by the Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson

Cewkie was one of the judges for the Recycle Michael competition.

Mayor Anderson said:

“It was a very hard choice to decide the winner but with Cewkie’s help we decided that Lauren’s idea was the best and we will be using her design to help encourage recycling.

“Lauren and Cewkie show what talented and creative children we have in this city and how much they care about recycling.

“We want to harness that enthusiasm to improve our recycling rate and Recycle Michael will be used to help press home that message.”

More than 100 entries were received  and a shortlist of 10 designs- including one by Lauren’s sister Megan –was drawn up.

Lauren was presented with a  trophy made from  recycled material  and also received a certificate.

St Hilda’s won the secondary school category with a joint effort from pupils.

The competition was run by the council’s Liverpool Environmental Advocate team (LEAT) and is the first stage of a programme in which the team will visit schools offering practical advice on recycling.

Images- Gareth Jones