Earlier in the year we looked at the arrival of the first MetalMatters campaign in South London. Here we review the impact of the campaigns that took place throughout the UK in 2012.
T
o sum it up, 2012 was quite simply a resounding success for MetalMatters. There were four campaigns rolled out across the UK tasked with boosting kerbside recycling of metal packaging, and another two programmes were developed that will report back in the coming months. Altogether they directly targeted 1.9 million households across 31 local authorities, and 13 of these expanded their recycling streams to include items such as foil trays, household foil and empty aerosols, providing a lasting boost for metal packaging recycling.
All of the completed 2012 campaigns recorded increased levels of metal packaging collected for recycling, and the campaign in Sefton, Merseyside saw recycling rates in the Borough rocket by 64%.
Cost effectiveness will always be a consideration for any local authority planning a new communications campaign, but MetalMatters’ 2012 results show it is an effective and affordable initiative that is now tried and tested. The Kent Waste Partnership campaign cost just 19p per household to run, and in Portsmouth the revenue generated by the additional metals captured will pay back the financial outlay within 12 months.
MetalMatters is cost-effective, simple to run and does what it says on the tin – gets people to recycle their metal packaging. The programme will be building on this success for 2013, with new campaigns that are ready to play their part in changing recycling behaviour across the UK.
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