Residents are urged to embrace a ‘can-do’ attitude as Cherwell District Council launches a new metal packaging recycling campaign.
Published: Wednesday, 11th September 2024
Working in partnership with the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro), the council is rolling out the ‘MetalMatters’ programme to help increase kerbside recycling rates and raise awareness of the benefits of recycling household packaging made from metal.
The digital, postal and in-person campaign will allow residents to learn more about the best way to recycle metal items, whether from the comfort of their homes or at their local household recycling centre.
Recycling metal packaging has significant environmental benefits, including reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. This makes it a simple yet powerful way to combat climate change, in line with the council’s ambition to help the district to become carbon net zero.
Councillor Ian Middleton, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services, said: “Reduce, reuse and recycle is a key mantra at the heart of our priorities as a council, and we know our residents do a brilliant job of recycling, but some may not know that there is one common household material that is 100 per cent recyclable – metal.
“Metal packaging is everywhere in the household, from food and drink cans, aluminium wrapping foil and foil trays, as well as empty aerosols and metal screw tops.
“While we have seen some fantastic improvement in our recycling contamination rates, we really need to see more people putting their metal packaging in the blue bin instead of the green one.
“Recycling metal packaging is easy to do and brings many benefits. The energy saved by recycling just one aluminium can will power a TV for three hours. It shows that we can make a huge difference with one small action!”
Tom Giddings, executive director of Alupro, added: “For more than a decade, our MetalMatters programme has been educating the public about the benefits and importance of recycling metal packaging. We’re confident that the introduction of this campaign will help to drive an increase in recycling rates and households taking positive action across Cherwell.
“For us, the most important message is that metal is infinitely recyclable, meaning the quality and properties of the metal will be unchanged during the recycling process. Making a few small changes can add up to a big environmental impact.”
Find more information about MetalMatters and what you can recycle at the kerbside and at household recycling centres online at www.cherwell.gov.uk/metalmatters