Residents across Essex are being encouraged to recycle more of their metal packaging as part of a new communications campaign led by Essex County Council. The initiative, launching on 2 March, will reach more than 600,000 households and aims to improve understanding of how and why metal packaging should be recycled.
The campaign is being delivered in partnership with aluminium packaging recycling organisation Alupro through its national MetalMatters programme. Using digital channels and social media, the campaign will share information about common metal packaging items and the benefits of placing them in kerbside recycling collections.
Households generate a wide range of metal packaging every week, from drinks cans and foil to aerosols and food trays. Local authorities see increasing recycling rates as an important step in keeping valuable materials within the circular economy rather than sending them to disposal.
Councillor Peter Schwier, Climate Czar and Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste Reduction and Recycling at Essex County Council said: “From food and drink cans and wrapping foil, to empty aerosols, screw tops, trays and tubes, households across Essex generate a huge volume of metal packaging waste every week. Understanding how best to separate items for recycling, as well as the benefits of doing so, are key to increasing capture rates at the kerbside.
“By partnering with Alupro and rolling out its MetalMatters initiative, we aim to improve recycling rates across the county and ensure that valuable materials can be used again and again.”
Metal packaging such as aluminium and steel can be recycled repeatedly without loss of quality. When collected through kerbside schemes and processed through recycling facilities, these materials can be returned to manufacturing supply chains for use in new packaging and products.
The MetalMatters programme was developed to help local authorities increase participation in recycling schemes. It focuses on clear communication with residents, explaining which items can be recycled and how these materials are processed once collected.
Tom Giddings, executive director of Alupro, added: “Since its launch in 2012, MetalMatters has helped to drive a widespread national uplift in metal packaging collection volumes. We’ve collaborated with hundreds of local authorities and reached millions of households nationwide.
“We’re looking forward to working with Essex County Council to deliver an entirely digital programme, which will work to increase recycling rates by encouraging local residents to take positive action.”
The Essex campaign will focus on digital engagement, using social media platforms to reach residents with short informational content and practical recycling guidance. Visual materials and short messages will aim to make it easier for households to recognise recyclable metal items and understand where they belong in the home recycling system.
Clear messaging around recycling is often seen as an important factor in improving participation. Confusion about what can and cannot be recycled can lead to contamination of recycling streams or recyclable materials being discarded in general waste.
By providing clear examples of common items, the campaign aims to address that uncertainty. Food and drink cans, foil, empty aerosols, screw caps, trays and metal tubes are among the everyday packaging types residents are encouraged to place in recycling bins where local collection services allow.
MetalMatters campaigns have been rolled out in many parts of the UK since the programme launched in 2012. Funded by the metal packaging industry, the initiative supports local authorities by providing communication resources designed to increase capture rates for metal packaging.
The programme can be delivered in a variety of ways depending on the needs of the local authority. Campaigns may run across entire regions, focus on individual collection rounds or target specific demographic groups where recycling participation is lower.
Kerbside recycling schemes remain the main route for household recycling across the UK. Improving the quantity and quality of materials placed in recycling collections can help local authorities increase recycling performance while supporting national targets for resource efficiency and waste reduction.
By focusing on a single material stream, programmes such as MetalMatters aim to give residents clear, simple guidance. This approach can help reinforce everyday recycling habits and reduce the number of recyclable items being placed in general waste.
The Essex campaign will run throughout the coming months as part of the council’s wider efforts to increase recycling across the county. Local authorities across England are preparing for changes to waste collection systems under national reforms designed to improve consistency in household recycling.
For Essex County Council, the partnership with Alupro forms part of a broader effort to increase awareness of recyclable materials and ensure that valuable resources are recovered through existing collection services.
More information about Alupro and its consumer engagement initiatives can be found at www.alupro.org.uk.
