Calling all Student Scorsese Wannabes

The Can Makers have launched a nationwide search for the best video dispelling the myths around recycling drinks cans.  “Myth Busting – what happens to your drinks can when it’s recycled”,  jointly sponsored by the British Film Institute asks students to enter short videos exploring the myths of drinks can recycling, particularly what happens to our recycling, which is often misunderstood.  Entrants will have a chance to win £1,500 and be recognised nationally as a leading student filmmaker.

The celebrated British actor Danny Dyer leads a host of celebrities and experts from the environment, sustainability and film making industries who will be judging the entries.  The full list includes Danny Dyer, Actor; Craig Stevens, Sky Movies Presenter; Geoffrey Macnab, The Independent Film Critic; Jamie Crawford, Presenter and Environmental Filmmaker; Jennifer Granville, Director of Northern Film School, Leeds Metropolitan University; Dr Colin Church, DEFRA; and Noel Goodwin, BFI Education Programmer for Young People.

Entrants will need to submit a video, no more than two minutes in length, which busts some of the popular drinks can recycling myths.  Whether it’s an animation, a funny stunt or a short documentary, the winning student will be rewarded the top prize of £1,500.  The winner of each of the five sub-categories will win £500.

The closing date for entries is Thursday 28^th February 2013.
Full terms and conditions and information on how to enter are available on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CanMakersVideo.

51 million drinks cans recycled in 2011 with Every Can Counts

Every Can Counts, the out of the home drinks can recycling programme co-funded by BCME, has announced its 2011 results. 51 million cans were collected from participating workplaces and ‘on the go’ locations in the UK over the past year. This equates to 774 tonnes of aluminium and steel saved from landfill and around 5,800 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions avoided as a result of the programme. The figure is equivalent to each employee from registered organisations recycling  five cans per month, an increase of 25% year on year.

The programme has come a long way in the three years since its launch. Originally developed as a trial programme to test the barriers and drivers to successful recycling outside the home, Every Can Counts has now established a model to help organisations that are working towards sustainability objectives, such as zero waste to landfill. The programme was cited as an example of best practice in the Government Review of Waste Policy in England 2011.

With a name and brand identity that works well in any language, the Every Can Counts programme has also now been successfully replicated in France, Austria, Romania and Hungary, with more European markets looking to follow suit.

To find out how to get involved with the programme visit www.everycancounts.co.uk. You can also follow Every Can Counts on Facebook and Twitter.

¹ Figures have been calculated using data provided by a representative sample of Every Can Counts programme users and calculated using methodology approved by the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

Education is the key to increasing recycling at home

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•  Pilot project sees increase in recycling rates of 12.9%
• 22% increase in recycling of 17 or more items regularly
• Lack of awareness a barrier to recycling at home: perceived as a “waste of time”

metalmatters announced the results of a groundbreaking pilot project designed to increase kerbside metal recycling rates. The project, conducted in conjunction with two local authorities, delivered significant results including a 12.9% increase in metals recycled in the biggest trial area of 54,283 households.

 The project, the first of its kind, was conducted in cooperation with Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council and East Hampshire District Council. metalmatters delivered a community outreach programme which highlighted popular misconceptions about recycling and educated residents on the benefits of recycling as many items as possible.  There was an overall attitudinal shift as a result, with almost one in five respondents agreeing that the campaign had encouraged them to recycle more metals. The post project research also showed a 22% increase in those who reported recycling 17 or more items regularly.

metalmatters has set a new benchmark for projects in this industry by using extensive research and consumer testing to develop and refine messages and communications collateral to create a targeted metals campaign.  Using the Acorn classification tool, metalmatters evaluated those materials against demographic groups alongside recycling behaviour and competence levels.

Norman Lett, Project Leader, metalmatters, commented: “The project’s goal was to increase existing household metal recycling rates by at least 10% and create a ‘best practice’ model.  We came to understand that the key to success was education, to encourage people to recycle more things, more often.  In our pre-campaign research many people thought recycling was either a waste of time or that, despite their best efforts, the materials then didn’t actually get recycled.  Metals are a precious resource as they are infinitely recyclable and it makes a real difference if they go back into the recycling loop.  The consumer wanted reassurance of this.”

Councillor Bill Shepherd, spokesperson for the Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, said:  “We are delighted with the results this project achieved, not only the increase in volumes recycled but also the shift in attitudes. The extensive research that went into metalmatters made it extremely effective in changing people’s recycling behaviour.”

Linda Horne, spokesperson for East Hampshire District Council, added: “East Hampshire residents have one of the best recycling rates in the UK, of which we are very proud.  Yet, despite this, the metalmatters project delivered increases in recycling rates that are significant.  It is certainly a programme others should consider.”   

About metalmatters

metalmatters is a partnership between the UK drinks can manufacturers, the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the aluminium and steel packaging and recycling industries.  It aims to encourage more people to recycle all of the metal packaging they use at home.  For more information visit the consumer website www.metalmatters.org.uk

 

metalmatters: Funding Partners

1. BCME (Beverage Can Makers Europe) is the European beverage can association whose prime objective is to promote the beverage can. The three members are: Ball Packaging Europe, Crown Bevcan Europe and Middle East and Rexam Beverage Can Europe & Asia

2. WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) WRAP’s vision is a world without waste, where resources are used sustainably.  We work with businesses and individuals to help them reap the benefits of reducing waste, develop sustainable products and use resources in an efficient way.  Established as a not-for-profit company in 2000, WRAP is backed by government funding from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  More information on all of WRAP’s programmes can be found on http://www.wrap.org.uk.

3. Novelis operates Europe’s only dedicated used aluminium can recycling plant in Warrington, Cheshire.  The plant has the capacity to recycle every aluminium can sold in the UK for the foreseeable future (currently 6.6 billion cans, which equates to approximately 101,000 tonnes in weight).

4. Tata Steel Packaging Recycling: Tata is the largest steel reprocessor in the UK. TATA Steel Packaging Recycling promotes steel packaging recycling to consumers, local authorities and the commercial sector

Misconceptions of metal recycling

By Alec Peachey, Deputy Editor, CanTech International

When I first started writing about the metal packaging industry I never quite realised how much there was to it. Can makers, suppliers, shaping, embossing and metal decorating are just some of the things I write about on a regular basis. But there is one thing that makes cans stand out above other packaging types – they are infinitely recyclable.
But there are still some common misconceptions surrounding the recyclability of metal. A spokesman for metalmatters, which is a partnership between the UK drink can manufacturers, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), and the aluminium and steel packaging and recycling industries, says a lack of understanding over exactly what is recyclable is one of the main problems.
The drink can industry is proactively working to educate consumers on recycling of household waste and metalmatters has been working hard to give the householder a greater understanding of the value and benefits of recycling metals.
After carrying out extensive consumer research metalmatters found that most people just want reassurance that their recycling efforts are not going to waste – in every sense of the word.
“We were amazed to find out that the strongest thing people were seeking was reassurance,” says the spokesman for metalmatters. “All metal is recyclable.”
While the majority of people know that food and beverage cans are recyclable some are unaware that things like aerosols, fish cans, bottle closures and foil can also be recycled.
“There are an awful lot of applications where aluminium is used. People don’t realise that they are using it. People find it surprising that they can be recycled into any metal product,” added the spokesman.
One of the best things about metals is that you can go on using them again and again, simply by melting them down and making new things from them. So the next time you go to throw away an empty aerosol or bottle top take a second to remember that it can be used again.

For more information about CanTech International visit: www.cantechonline.com

WRAP guest blogger Melanie Chilton, Local Communications Officer- Waste Prevention

We are delighted to welcome Melanie Chilton, Local Communications Officer – Waste Prevention at WRAP as a guest blogger to talk about the organisation and its activity to promote sustainability.  WRAP has had integral involvement with metalmatters and Every Can Counts, two programmes which work to promote the sustainability of the beverage can both on-the-go and within the home.  Melanie gives us a brief overview of some of their current activity and communications programmes:

 WRAP, also known more fully as the Waste and Resources Action Programme, is a varied and far-reaching organisation primarily funded by Defra and the devolved Governments. We cover aspects of the whole resource efficiency loop; working on a wide range of projects from facilitating voluntary agreements to working with industry to improve building design and minimise construction waste.

 One of the key parts of the whole process is also to communicate issues and solutions to consumers and stakeholders. Our communications team is responsible for many successful national campaigns to date, which has included Recycle Now see www.recyclenow.com. Many of you may remember the early possibilities are endless TV adverts. Also more recently we launched the Love Food Hate Waste campaign see www.lovefoodhatewaste.com which has helped reduce the amount of food going to landfill by 670,000 tonnes.

 An integral part of WRAP’s role in communications is to work directly with Local Authorities. WRAP offers support to them on both operational and communications advice. We support them to improve their collection schemes and achieve maximum participation and value for money in the existing schemes they have.

 If often costs an authority very little to collect more recyclables through existing infrastructure, so through good communications we ensure they achieve maximum scheme performance and achieve even greater recycling rates.

 The hot topics for Local Authorities are targets, efficiencies, and waste reduction but for many their recycling schemes are still not as effective as they could be, and with the pressure to communicate more, for less they are seeking more in-depth advice from WRAP about targeted communications.

 WRAP has been extremely pleased to team up recently with the metals industry, through the BCME, and trial the metalmatters programme. The work sought to increase metal capture through a successful targeted communications campaign and pull upon joint expertise.

 The programme has been innovative; in that it not only used demographic tools to target specific areas but it also sought to target specific messages to specific audiences. The aim of the programme/work has been to ensure maximum impact for minimum spend.

 Although we are awaiting the final results of this, early indications are pleasing, and we are continuing to take the evidence from this forward and work with authorities to create targeted campaigns to improve capture of other key recyclable materials such as paper and plastics.

“metalmatters” kerbside recycling trials aiming for more metal packaging recycling in UK homes

“metalmatters”, a partnership between the UK drinks can manufacturers, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the aluminium and steel recycling industries, is now coming to the end of its trial in two UK boroughs. “metalmatters” is an innovative awareness programme designed to support the UK’s current kerbside recycling schemes and encourage the public to recycle more at home. The scheme looks at assisting householders in recycling ever increasing amounts of packaging material, avoiding disposal costs and benefitting the environment.

In depth research and focus groups were conducted to understand the barriers that Local Authorities face when trying to drive up recycling rates in the home. Although 85 per cent of the population have access to a recycling scheme, research has shown that consumer awareness of what can actually be recycled is still low in some areas. The pilot scheme, currently running in Nuneaton and Bedworth and select households in Hampshire, is being supported by proactive marketing programmes which include leaflet drops to over 57,000 households, a consumer information roadshow, PR activity and poster campaigns.

“metalmatters” has been greeted by Local Authorities with enthusiasm as an important opportunity to help drive up recycling rates in the local community and a good example of industry taking an active role in supporting Local Authorities. Findings from the pilot scheme will be analysed during the autumn and success then measured. The goal of the programme is to create a proven resource that can be used by all Local Authorities to support behavioural change and thereby encourage more recycling at home.