EAST Lancashire companies are getting ready to put themselves to the test in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph Business Awards 2003, which will highlight the local leaders of business and industry.

And one of the first entrants to the prestigious contest is hoping it will be a case of second time around after scooping an award at last year's ceremony.

Blackburn-based Neales Waste Management prides itself on being different from its competitors, and it is an approach that is paying off both financially and environmentally.

Neales -- winner of the Workforce Development category in our 2002 Awards -- is one of the first entrants for the Innovation and Design Award which is looking for bright new products and processes.

From its head office at the Walker Office Park at Guide, the company operates from four main sites in Blackburn, Whittle-le-Woods and at Sellafield in Cumbria. "Our service is different to most other waste companies because we are not just a 'waste collection and disposal' company," said manager Debbie Emmott.

"We want to be a leader in developing a culture of good working environmental practice and we can already feel proud of some of the actions we are taking to improve the environment.

"We work intensively with our customers to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill and to increase waste which is recycled. The UK average recycling figures are around 10 per cent maximum. Last year, we recycled 33 per cent of the waste we handled."

Debbie said Neales had won major contracts with companies such as BNFL at Sellafield, Lex Multipart and Ultraframe because of its innovative approach to total waste management.

The company's own environmental management system includes a programme to install satellite tracking systems to its fleet of refuse collection vehicles. "It enables us to pinpoint any vehicle throughout the day," said Debbie.

She said the company would save more than £16,000 a year on fuel costs alone.

The 2003 Business Awards, run in association with the Learning and Skills Council Lancashire, will come to a glittering finale in February with the presentation ceremony at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel. The deadline for entries is January 31.