Council joins campaign to rescue recycling heroes

Cherwell District Council is supporting this year’s Recycle Week (14 – 20 October) to celebrate the efforts of people in north Oxfordshire.

Published: Monday, 14th October 2024

WRAP rescue me

For Recycle Week 2024, Cherwell joins a national crusade to save five packaging heroes from being rubbished and help them take on a new lease of life through recycling.

­To highlight the plight of the five ill-fated packaging heroes, Recycle Now has created a team of characters to bring the campaign to life. They are Dee Dee, the deodorant; Rey, the plastic trigger spray; Yogi, the yoghurt pot; Fitz, the perfume bottle; and humble Hube, the toilet roll tube.

The heroes feature on recycling and refuse lorries across the UK, including in Cherwell.

The latest Recycle Now research shows that while the UK is a nation of recyclers - nine out of ten people regularly recycle – nearly eight out of ten of us (79 per cent) put one or more items into the bin that could have been recycled.

Councillor Ian Middleton, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services, said: "Recycling is a vitally important part of our work to tackle climate change. It means valuable materials can be recaptured - recycled - and reused, reducing the need for the environmentally damaging extraction of raw materials such as oil for plastic and metal ores from mining.

“We’re always looking at new ways to encourage recycling and re-using, with new initiatives such as our doorstep charity collections, and vape and coffee pod services that have recently been launched across the district.

“Recycle Now’s fun new recycling heroes are an eye-catching way of spreading the recycling message and encouraging people to sort their used packaging correctly. I’m delighted to see the characters on one of our bin lorries and I would also encourage people to come and meet our recycling experts at the events being run across the district this week.”

The council’s waste and recycling team will run roadshows during Recycle Week, answering people’s questions and sharing top tips.

  • Tuesday, 15 October, at Banbury Food Larder, Marlborough Road, 2pm – 4pm
  • Wednesday, 16 October, at Lock 29, Castle Quay, Banbury, 11am – 2pm
  • Thursday, 17 October, at Wish Community Hub, 4 The Parade, Kidlington, 11am – 2pm
  • Friday, 18 October, at Bicester Friday Market, Sheep Street, 9am – 3pm

Craig Stephens, Senior Campaign Manager for Recycle Now, said: “We are delighted that Cherwell District Council is supporting Recycle Week. While a light-hearted campaign, recycling is essential to limit the impact what we buy has on the environment. Keeping these materials circulating means we can reduce emissions linked with our weekly shop.

“Most people are recycling, and the material we capture has a multitude of uses, so the next step is to ensure everyone captures everything they can. Every aerosol, every trigger spray bottle, every plastic pot, perfume bottle and toilet roll tube. Rescue – recycle!”