Residents in Ayrshire are being called upon to boost household recycling of metal packaging across the county as part of the MetalMatters campaign.

East, North and South Ayrshire councils have all joined the campaign, which aims to make the public think more about the waste metal in their everyday drinks cans, food tins and aluminium food trays.

MetalMatters estimates that more than 173 million items of metal packaging are thrown away by the 172,000 households in the three districts every year, with the equivalent weight of around 14 double-decker buses.

As part of the campaign, which has been developed and funded by the metal packaging industry, reprocessors and fillers and is managed by the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro), all households in the area will receive two leaflets, distributed six weeks apart, to remind them what can be recycled in their recycling collection and explaining what happens to the metal packaging once it has been collected for recycling.

Council collection vehicles will also carry signage displaying the campaign’s message and roadshow events will take place throughout August and September to motivate residents to recycle more.

Campaign aims to bring lasting change to metal recycling

Following the announcement of Ayrshire’s involvement with the campaign, Councillor Eoghann MacColl, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities at East Ayrshire Council, said: “This superb campaign has already run in over 50 councils across the UK, and results show it works, with a significant and lasting increase in the amount of metal packaging collected.

“It represents a win-win position for all of us and it’s amazing to think of all the benefits we can enjoy, just by putting our can, tin or waste metal in the recycling bin!”

Councillor John McDowall, Portfolio Carrier for Sustainability and the Environment for South Ayrshire Council, added: “Many of us are now used to recycling the likes of paper or cardboard, and we need to ensure that thinking extends to our waste metal, too. The new campaign will help inform people about what happens to their metal packaging once it’s been collected.

“For example, the average household uses 380 drinks cans a year, every one of which can be recycled and back on sale in just 60 days – so we can all make a real difference.”

Rick Hindley, Executive Director of Alupro, said: “The MetalMatters programme is one of the most cost-effective ways to motivate residents to recycle more. We are looking forward to seeing positive results from the campaign across Ayrshire as more residents recycle more materials at home.”

MetalMatters has ‘positive and lasting effect’

In July, Alupro released a report describing the ‘positive and lasting effect’ of the MetalMatters campaign in increasing metal recovery rates from kerbside collections while providing swift return on investment for its partners.

The company says that the campaign has now been run in over 50 local authorities since it was launched in 2012, reaching over three million households. Across authorities, it claims, the campaign has seen the recycling of metal packaging rise by around 18 per cent, while delivering a return on investment to its 27 pence per household costs within a year, ‘sometimes as quickly as four months’.

Learn more about the MetalMatters campaign.