After talking to Dorset county council, Somerset has adopted its 'Wake Up to Waste' logo and slogan for the new campaign, which has been funded by Landfill Tax Credits via the Wyvern Environmental Trust.
Launched by Michael Eavis, the man behind the Glastonbury Festival, the campaign will include advertisements and sponsorship in newspapers and on radio; posters, roadside advertising hoardings, on buses and a series of roadshows.
 Michael Eavis launches Somerset's waste campaign |
Speaking at the launch, Mr Eavis said: “It is estimated that each Somerset resident produces over 1.3 tonnes of waste every year. Yet 60% of what goes into our bins could be put to better use. Chucking all this away costs so much in every way and is so wasteful. I hope that Somerset households will get on board and join the ‘Wake up to Waste’ campaign.”
Somerset is aiming to get from its current 20% recycling rate to its government target of 28% by the end of 2003-04. At the moment, the county produces about 300,000 tonnes of household waste each year.
Paul Chiplen, the county council's waste minimisation campaigns officer, explained “Somerset has seen major service improvements over the last 12 months, including kerbside recycling, a home compost initiative, and the creation of a waste education team – The Somerset Waste Action Programme. Now we have these services in place, we need to boost participation and public awareness.”
He added: “With the combined power of our new services and awareness raising, we are all confident we will boost our current recycling rate to meet and even exceed our target.”
To celebrate the launch, County Hall in Taunton was lit up in a spectacular lightshow, with the campaign logo and web address – www.recyclesomerset.info projected onto the main building.
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