EFFORTS to set a new pace in recycling earned Bury a place on the winners' podium at a lavish green awards ceremony.

Bury beat contenders across the Greater Manchester to clinch third place and a £6,000 prize in the county's "Race to Recycle Awards 2003".

Trophies were presented at Manchester's Lowry Hotel, in a ceremony hosted by ITV sports presenter Gabby Logan.

Bury scooped the prize after it showed a 29 per cent real terms increase in recycling over the last 12 months.

The award was received by Bury Council's executive member for lifelong learning, Councillor Stella Smith.

Coun Smith said: "We are delighted to receive the award which we take very seriously and are hoping to improve upon our performance next year.

"Our aim has been to bring recycling sites closer to the people and I think we have had a number of good initiatives."

The number of miniature bring sites have been increased, along with public participation in a kerbside paper collection scheme.

Other schemes introduced in the last 12 months have included a "Yellow Pages Challenge" in which schoolchildren were encouraged to recycle old telephone books from home.

Kerbside collections for organic waste are expected to begin in August, with a government backed initiative for domestic bottle and can collection planned for the near future.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Bury, Councillor Wilf Davison and his wife Maureen were present for the event.

Cash prizes, awarded by paper recyling firm UPymmene Shotton Paper, should be spent on imaginative community-based projects.

First place prize at the ceremony went to Trafford, with Bolton finishing second.

John Viviani, UK purchasing manager for UPymmene, said: "The criteria are not about how much recycling takes place or how advanced at recyling a local authority is, but about the increase in recycling that takes place.

"Our approach with this initiative has been to make it fun and raise the profile of recycling.

"We wanted to say thank you to the people of Bury for their achievements over the last 12 months and to give some money back to the community."