And, the week saw the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the first ever bottle bank in the UK.
Launched by “glamorous” celebrity Denise Van Outen, this year's events were staged under a theme emphasising the “transformation” of materials.
Amanda Barry Hirst, head of PR for Recycle Now, said: “Recycling is one of the most practical and convenient things we can all do to help our environment. The UK has experienced significant growth in recycling rates, and nine out of ten homes now have doorstep collections. Recycle Now Week aims to inspire us all to do our bit.”
Councils
Many councils around the country ran recycling roadshows, like those put on in Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey and Yorkshire, in which residents were shown how rubbish is transformed into new materials and products.
On the roadshows, householders were also offered the chance to speak with council recycling officers, home composting advisors and washable nappy experts about how to recycle more and create less waste.
Worcestershire county council's recycling roadshows saw the appearance of a group of Can-Can girls yesterday, which attracted the attention of the local newspapers in Malvern.
The London borough of Havering – another authority running roadshows – also launched a schools recycling competition in which local schools had the chance to win hundreds of pounds if they recycled the most using their classroom bins throughout June.
Schools in Teinbridge, Devon, were also offered cash prizes during the week, in a competition in which pupils were invited to make animals out of recycled materials.
Cllr Gordon Hook, Teignbridge executive for environmental services said: “The theme of this week encourages our customers to think of fun ways to reuse their products and reduce the amount of waste going to be recycled or sent to landfill. From what we've seen so far, our local young people have come up with some fascinating creations.”
Glass anniversary
Back in 1977, when the first glass bank was established at Tesco's car park, Wombwell Lane, Barnsley, Mr Race was president of the Glass Manufacturing Federation. Some 23 billion jars and bottles have been recycled in this country since then, with more than 50,000 bottle banks now in use in the UK.
Mr Race said: “I am really proud to have been involved in getting glass recycling off the ground and to be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the bottle bank. It is so important because recycling helps the environment, reduces emissions and helps to conserve the landscape.”
David Workman, director general of trade federation British Glass, said: “UK consumers have come a long way since 1977 and now recycle 50% of all our glass. Everyone can play their part no matter how small from perfume bottles, to beer bottles and jam jars, it all goes to helping our environment.”
Corus
Steel reprocessor Corus – one of the sponsors of this year's Recycle Now Week – organised two media stunts during the week, with a showcase of swimwear made out of recycled cans on Monday in Brighton, and a successful world record attempt on Tuesday.
The record attempt saw strongman John Evans succeeding in balancing 429 filled cans on his head – around 27 stone in weight.
Nicola Bennett, communications manager of Corus Steel Packaging Recycling, said: “The swimwear and record breaking stunts are light-hearted ways to get across a serious message; we can all do more to recycle. The UK has the fastest growing recycling rate in Europe, with five million people regularly recycling, but in a country of almost 60 million people, there is clearly much more that can be done.
“Steel packaging is one of the easiest materials to recycle via kerbside schemes and local recycling collection points. Unlike some other packaging materials, it can be recycled time and time again without losing any of its quality or strength,” she said.
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