Paper sector support for renamed “Recycle Week”

The Waste and Resources Action Programme confirmed last week that next year's event, which will kick off on June 2, will be known as “Recycle Week”.

The organisation withdrew its support in 2007 because it said the awareness message was not promoting the need for quality material within household recycling (see letsrecycle.com story).

In 2007, television presenter Denise Van Outen lent her name to the campaign, and similar celebrity support is expected for 2008's Recycling Week.

Name

Explaining yet another name change for the event, a spokeswoman for the campaign told letsrecycle.com on Friday: “Recycle Week was formerly known as Recycle Now Week. The title of the campaign has evolved to deliver a more focused call to action.”

WRAP – the Waste and Resources Action Programme – said plans for Recycle Week 2008 were now “well underway” and promised regular announcements outlining promotional activity and support materials available for local authorities and industry stakeholders to plan activities.

Fridey Cordingley, Head of Recycle Now said: “The Week is increasingly being used as an effective platform to communicate positive messages about recycling and showcase real achievements, as well as to inspire the public to recycle even more. Last year there were 168 local events during the Week and the continued, enthusiastic support from local authorities is a major key to its success.”

PaperChain

The paper recycling sector is back on board with the 2008 campaign, after withdrawing its support for the event this year. PaperChain, the sector's awareness organisation, had blamed the “Recycle Now” campaign of failing to “actively or effectively” promote the need for householders to keep recycled material clean and free from contamination.

But with WRAP speaking out publicly this year on the need to improve material quality, PaperChain has said it will commit to Recycle Week 2008.

PaperChain chairman Martin Green said: “With a clear focus from government and WRAP on recovering high quality recyclables from the UK waste stream to ensure maximum carbon benefits during recycling, stakeholder and public engagement by the recycling organisations is key. PaperChain's commitment to Recycle Week 2008 will ensure that appropriate information is conveyed to the public and Local Authority service providers to allow further development of a highly successful material for recycling.”

As with previous national recycling weeks, the renamed affair will also be supported by materials recycling organisations including British Glass, Corus, Novelis Recycling and Recoup.

Diana Caldwell, Communications Manager at Novelis Recycling said: “For 2008 the materials reprocessors are working with WRAP to develop projects that we hope will add value to the campaign and be used by local authorities both for Recycle Week itself and beyond.”