Councils and businesses across the country are gearing up to take part in Recycle Week 2012, which is being backed by environment secretary Caroline Spelman and London Mayor Boris Johnson.
The Week, now in its ninth year, is organised by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) through its Recycle Now initiative and will run from next Monday (June 18) to Sunday (June 24).
The campaign focuses on the same broad theme as in 2011 of Recycling at home and away. However, this year there is a particular focus on plastic bottles.
WRAP said the continued success of plastic recycler Closed Loop Recycling and the launch of Continuums plastic reprocessing facility in Lincolnshire, which opened in May 2012 (see letsrecycle.com story) meant the UK has the capability to support an increase in plastic recycling levels.
To fit in with this theme, Closed Loop Recycling has launched a We need your bottles campaign which aims to capture the 300,000 tonnes of plastic bottles that are sent to landfill in the UK every year.
The scheme is backed by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson who said: Taking time to chuck your unwanted plastic bottles into the recycling bin, rather than your rubbish bin, is not only good for the environment, but great for our wallets too. Recycling saves Londoners money, with the added bonus of creating jobs in London.
Councils
Councils are also tackling plastics with the Oxfordshire Waste Partnership (OWP) undertaking a plastic recycling roadshow which will be travelling the county. OWP is also looking at other forms of recycling as it offers tours of waste processing facilities including Agriverts anaerobic digestion plant in Cassington and Dix Pit landfill site.
Worcestershire county council is also pushing plastic recycling by encouraging residents to take advantage of its kerbside recycling service which accepts mixed rigid plastics such margarine tubs and yoghurt pots.
Spelman
Despite this, some councils are basing their campaigns on other materials including waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).
Ms Spelman is urging her constituents in Meriden in the West Midlands to take part in the week and visit the councils roadshows where they could win prizes for recycling WEEE, courtesy of WEEE producer compliance scheme Repic.
Ms Spelman said: Each year I try to get everyone in Meriden interested in Recycling Week and this year there is an added incentive: Solihull Council is offering anyone who brings along a small unwanted electrical item for recycling will receive an entry into a draw to win some great prizes.
I find that once people understand the importance of recycling, they are far more likely to care about the environment in future and they wont resort to dumping unwanted goods and rubbish in the streets or countryside.
WEEE is also being tackled by the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority and its waste contractor Viridor Laing which is offering residents a chance to win 200 in shopping vouchers for recycling their small electricals. Meanwhile Recycle for Hampshire is holding bring day events for WEEE across the county.
Elsewhere Eastleigh borough council is looking to tackle textile recycling by teaming up with the Salvation Army Trading Company.
WRAP
A spokeswoman for WRAP told letsrecycle.com that WRAPs involvement was mainly supportive and that this was likely to reduce over the coming years.
She said: The event has become well-established in its own right. At this stage of the campaign’s maturity, we can deliver better value by maintaining awareness of the initiative through working closely with our Recycle Week partners.
Our involvement is more supportive these days as the event has taken on its own momentum. However, it is clear from the response and coverage each year that the event still has a big role to play in raising awareness of recycling issues and the potential to do more. Hence we are committed to continuing to organise it on an annual basis for the foreseeable future, albeit with a reducing level of direct involvement in delivering the messages ourselves.”
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