Left to right: Rick Hindley, Executive Director of Alupro, Mike Stafford, Regional Manager of Viridor, Councillor Derek Osbourne, Leader of Kingston Council and Chair of the Joint Waste Committee and Rachel Lewis, Chair of the South London Waste Partnership Management Group.
The first MetalMatters recycling programme of 2013 has been launched across South London, in an attempt to ‘boost collection levels for metal packaging at kerbsides in the capital’.
The six-week campaign, the first of its kind in London, will cover all 365,000 households across South London Waste Partnership’s four boroughs: Croydon, Kingston, Merton and Sutton.
Under the campaign, two leaflet drops will take place across the boroughs, supported by advertising on buses, trams and collection vehicles that focus on informing and reminding residents that ‘all metal packaging can be recycled and reused endlessly’.
Each borough is also set to hold educational events and activities in support of the MetalMatters campaign.
Chair of the South London Waste Partnership, Councillor Derek Osbourne, said: “This is the first time that the MetalMatters programme has been implemented in London, and the campaign shows our commitment to increasing recycling rates and keeping valuable recyclables away from landfill sites.
“People in South London are keen to do their bit for the environment, and the campaign is a great way for us to encourage them to recycle household items such as food and drink cans and aerosols more often.”
The South London campaign is funded by metal industry partnership, MetalMatters (managed by aluminium recyclers Alupro), in association with Recycle for London and waste management company, Viridor. This is the first MetalMatters campaign to receive direct funding from a waste management company.
Viridor Regional Manager, Mike Stafford, said: “I am delighted that Viridor is able to support the MetalMatters campaign. Supporting initiatives like this is at the core of our business and I look forward to seeing more metal packaging arriving at our facilities for recycling in the months to come.”
Rick Hindley, Executive Director of Alupro, added: “The South London campaign is a great way to kick-off MetalMatters in 2013.
“We are delighted to be working with Recycle for London, and that Viridor have agreed to come on board and make a significant financial contribution to the campaign; it makes it a true partnership programme.
“We are looking forward to seeing the impact the MetalMatters campaign has on metal packaging capture rates.”
Five MetalMatters campaigns were undertaken in 2012, including an award-winning programme in Sefton and the largest ever campaign in Kent in October that saw leaflet drops across 650,000 households.
Managed by aluminium recycling organisation, Alupro, the MetalMatters campaign has reached in excess of two million households since it began in 2011.
Read more about MetalMatters
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How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.