SEVEN wasted men were in Ely next week as part of a new campaign to help urge people to shop smart and cut down the amount of waste they dump in their bins. Seven man-shaped sculptures have been produced by London-based artist Michelle Reader out of rub

SEVEN 'wasted' men were in Ely next week as part of a new campaign to help urge people to shop smart and cut down the amount of waste they dump in their bins.

Seven man-shaped sculptures have been produced by London-based artist Michelle Reader out of rubbish to demonstrate the 524kg of household waste which the average householder in Cambridgeshire produces every year.

That is equivalent to seven times an average body weight and statistics show this figure grows year on year.

The 'Be a Smart Shopper' campaign from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Waste Partnership aims to show people, with the use of the Seven Wasted Men, just how much waste they are throwing away and encourage them to tackle it at its source and shop smarter.

The seven striking figures were spread over the High Street in Ely between on Friday. Waste officers will be giving advice on how to shop in a way which minimises the waste which eventually ends up in the bin.

Free cotton bags for residents to carry their shopping will also be on offer to help people cut down on the number of plastic bags they use. Street drama around the theme of waste will also be staged.