The scheme, which has proved popular in North America run by parent company Abitibi-Consolidated, works with schools and the community to reward recycling.
 Bright yellow and green containers attract communities to recycle their paper and gain rewards on the Abitibi Paper Retriever programme |
Waste awareness specialists Waste Watch will work with Abitibi to develop educational resource material for the scheme.
More than 200 schools, charities and churches have already joined the UK programme, which uses bright green and yellow containers to collect used newspapers and magazines, as well as direct mail, catalogues, Yellow Pages and other directories.
Cheque
Participants in the scheme receive a quarterly statement and cheque from Abitibi-Consolidated Recycling Europe, which regularly services the containers and provides them with promotional materials to motivate and engage the local community.
Managing director Ron Humphreys said: “The scheme has been a great success in Canada and North America, where we paid some 2 million last year to schools, churches and charity organisations.”
“It’s a win-win situation for all concerned,” he added. “Paper diverted from landfill comes to the Bridgewater mill here at Ellesmere Port, where it is re-processed into 100 percent recycled newsprint; schools, charities and others are provided with a valuable income stream, while our kids gain first-hand experience of the benefits of environmental stewardship from an early age.”
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