Television presenter Philippa Forrester was on hand to do the honours as the county seeks to expand on its already promising recycling performance. With a household waste recycling rate of 20% – compared to the national average at 11% – the county is one of the five best counties in the UK at recycling thanks to a partnership between local authorities.
 BBC presenter Philippa Forrester at the campaign's launch near Exeter |
“Devon has a great record of working in partnership to achieve good recycling results, and this campaign will show people not just how to recycle, but how to recycle more, and properly,” the BBC2 presenter said.
It is hoped that the new six-month campaign, which involves doorstepping, promotions and waste analysis to improve the operations of existing facilities, will help tackle the “law of diminishing returns” that sees the raising of recycling rates made more difficult the better the performance of local authorities.
Commenting on the launch, Devon county councillor David Morrish said: “We have six months to achieve an overall increase in recycling of 5%: at least a 10% increase in participation in kerbside schemes; and a decrease in contamination – which will itself make our recycling efforts more efficient – of at least 10%.”
The campaign, part of the 'Rethink Rubbish' brand of waste education, was given a message of support by the environment minister Michael Meacher. The minister said: “I warmly welcome this project, excellent not only in terms of its partnership approach but also in the value it may have for showing how to move to really high levels of recycling. I wish the project itself and the partnership behind it every success in achieving these goals.”
An ongoing analysis of the county's household waste will be used to determine whether the awareness campaign is successful in encouraging residents to recycle more of their waste.
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