A group of representatives from MetalMatters and Orkney Council holding cardboard cut-outs of metal packaging items in front of one of their recycling vehicles which bears the MetalMatters signage artwork.

One in five UK councils have chosen to make their metals matter

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Since the MetalMatters programme launched in 2012, one in five UK councils have chosen the campaign as a vehicle to deliver their recycling messages to householders and increase the metal packaging captured at kerbside: A total of 5.3 million households have now received MetalMatters messages directly through their door.

Nine councils have launched MetalMatters campaigns in 2017, and seven have been launched since the beginning of September. All are receiving funding support from the industry partnership and have been developed with programme managers, Alupro.

Bristol City, South Staffordshire, Calderdale (W. Yorkshire), Castle Point (Essex), Cheshire West and Chester, Orkney and West Dunbartonshire are all using MetalMatters to promote metal packaging recycling to their residents.   In total 592,000 households in the past month have been directly communicated with and encouraged to recycle their drink cans, food tins, foil and empty aerosols.

Councillor Fi Hance, Cabinet Member for Energy, Waste and Regulatory Services in Bristol said:                ‘We’ve had lots of interest in the MetalMatters campaign since it was rolled out across the city by Bristol Waste Company in September. Metal is a valuable resource for Bristol and we are looking forward to seeing the results.”

Orkney Council is Britain’s smallest local authority, with a population of just 20,000 and a recycling infrastructure that relies heavily on bring banks as well as kerbside collections. The attraction of MetalMatters was the opportunity to communicate directly with residents through two leaflet drops to every household. The campaign is being used by the Council to inform residents that it has added aerosols and foil containers to its collection scheme for the first time; so it hopes that the  combination of information, education and reinforcement of the campaign messages will prove to be a positive method of boosting recycling rates.

Rick Hindley, Executive Director of MetalMatters programme managers, Alupro says:

“We are thrilled that one in five councils in the UK have partnered with the MetalMatters programme so far. We are particularly pleased to be working with Orkney: the programme has been deployed in both urban and rural areas and has proved successful in all settings, but this is the first time we have worked with such a small population.” He adds, “to date, every deployment has resulted in a positive impact on metal packaging capture rates which clearly demonstrates that focussing on behaviour change will deliver significant increases in recycling rates.”

 

The campaign is based around a two-phase leaflet drop that informs and reminds householders about what and how to recycle, and explains what happens to metal packaging when it is recycled.   The remaining campaign elements are completely flexible depending upon the needs of the local council who can choose from a ready-made library of resources ranging from bin stickers to cinema screen adverts.

The programme is funded by a partnership of metal packaging manufacturers, fillers and reprocessors, industry organisations and compliance schemes and is delivered on their behalf by Alupro, with support from local authorities and their waste collection partners.

Ecosurety pledges support for MetalMatters

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Ecosurety, one of the UK’s leading packaging compliance schemes and resource efficiency specialists, has pledged their support to MetalMatters, the metal packaging industry’s flagship behavioural change programme. Read more

Tata Steel steps up support of MetalMatters

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Tata Steel UK is increasing its support for MetalMatters, the metal packaging industry’s UK behavioral change programme which aims to boost capture rates for metal packaging collected at kerbside.

Read more

South Northamptonshire residents urged to make their used metal matter

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Households across South Northamptonshire are being urged to recycle more of the 45 million items of metal packaging used in the region each year.

South Northamptonshire Council (SNC) has teamed up with Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro), an organisation representing the metal packaging manufacturing industry, recyclers and fillers, to launch the ‘MetalMatters’ recycling campaign across the district next month.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of metal packaging recycling, to increase the amount collected from households and reduce the costs for dealing with household waste.

Cllr Dermot Bambridge, SNC’s portfolio holder for environmental services said: “Over a year, the average household uses approximately 600 food tins, 380 drink cans, 27 aerosols and 182 foil trays.

“Every metal can that is recycled saves enough energy to power a television for four hours.

“By recycling all the metal packaging used in South Northamptonshire each year would save around 1,220 tonnes of carbon dioxide, the equivalent to taking over 260 cars off local streets for a year and helping the environment.”

Rick Hindley, executive director of Alupro the project managers, said: “The MetalMatters programme has delivered significant increases in the volumes of metal packaging collected for recycling in other parts of the UK, so we’re aiming to repeat – and hopefully better this – in South Northants.”

The campaign includes leaflets which will be sent to each of the 38,000 households in the area detailing the importance of including used metal packaging in their blue recycling bin and a series roadshows across the district.

Residents are reminded that aerosol cans, drink and food cans, aluminium trays and wrapping foil, can all be recycled via their blue wheelie bin.

An interactive A to Z of what goes where can be found here – http://www.southnorthants.gov.uk/wasteandrecycling.htm.

The MetalMatters campaign is jointly funded by an industry partnership comprising the UK’s leading producers, users and recyclers of metal packaging and South Northamptonshire Council.

For more information visit – http://metalmatters.org.uk/, or for more information on waste and recycling in South Northants visit – http://www.southnorthants.gov.uk/wasteandrecycling.htm.

MetalMatters roadshows will be visiting South Northamptonshire throughout May and June:
• Tuesday, 23 May, Tesco Superstore, Oxford Road, Brackley – 10am to 4pm
• Thursday, 25 May, Waitrose, Richmond Road, Towcester – 10am to 4pm
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Ball pledges funding support for MetalMatters

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Representatives from Alupro and Ball Corporation

Pictured L-R: Diana Caldwell, Communications Director, Alupro; Bjöern Kulmann, Director Sustainability, Ball Corporation; Jean Blottiere, Sales Manager UK & Key Account Manager, Ball Aerocan; Matthew Rowland-Jones, Manager Sustainability, Ball Beverage Packaging Europe; Warren Berry, Plant Manager Devizes, Ball Aerocan; Jason Galley, Director Global Innovation & Business Development, Ball Aerocan

 

Alupro is pleased to announce that Ball Corporation has become a direct funding partner of MetalMatters; the packaging industry’s communications programme in the UK which aims to boost the capture rates for metal packaging collected at kerbside.

 

Ball, a leading supplier of innovative, sustainable beverage, food and aerosol packaging solutions , manufacturers beverage and aerosol cans for the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and beverage industries at four manufacturing locations across the UK. Because of the company’s strong commitment to make metal cans the most sustainable packaging, it supports industry-funded recycling communication programmes such as MetalMatters.

 

Director of Sustainability at Ball Corporation Bjöern Kulmann, says: “MetalMatters is a great example of industry and local authorities working together to engage local communities, increase recycling rates for metal packaging and reduce its product carbon footprint. We recognise that high quality communications directly targeting households will play a key role in delivering increased recycling rates and are keen to actively support the ongoing development of the programme.”

 

Rick Hindley, Executive Director of project managers, Alupro says: “We are delighted to welcome Ball as a MetalMatters funding partner. Their contribution will allow us to expand the programme into new local authority areas. Next to our continued focus on beverage cans, we also know that approximately 20 percent of UK households put their aerosol cans in the general rubbish because they are unsure if aerosol cans are recyclable. Through our campaigns, we address this issue by educating residents about the recyclability of metal packaging. Our programmes are making a major contribution to delivering lasting and positive behaviour change.”

 

To date MetalMatters campaigns have been delivered in 74 local authorities across the UK, and have directly targeted over 4.5 million households. The campaign is based around a two-phase leaflet drop which informs and reminds householders about what and how to recycle, and explain what happens to metal packaging when it is recycled.

 

The programme is funded by a partnership of metal packaging manufacturers, fillers and reprocessors and is delivered on their behalf by Alupro, with support from local authorities and their waste collection partners.

M&S supports new MetalMatters campaign in Leeds

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The largest single local authority MetalMatters campaign has launched across Leeds City Council this month.   The Industry-funded communications campaign which is running in partnership with Marks & Spencer, will directly communicate with over 348,500 households with the aim of increasing capture rates of metal packaging recycled through kerbside collections.

Over the course of the 12 week campaign, Leeds City Council will directly mail each of their households.   This will be supported by radio adverts, signage on recycling vehicles, a comprehensive roadshow schedule and a new recycling competition for residents.

An exciting addition to the programme in Leeds is the partnership with M&S, one of the UK’s leading retailers. As part of Plan A, its eco and ethical programme, M&S is committed to working in partnership with programmes like the MetalMatters campaign in Leeds, to improve national levels of recycling and help customers to live more sustainably. In addition to its support with the communications campaign, M&S is also planning interactive recycling games and competitions to help explain recycling to local residents at its Moortown store on Harrogate Road, where members of the council will also be on hand to talk to customers about their recycling.

Laura Fernandez, senior packaging technologist at M&S said “We are working hard to make it as easy as possible for our customers to live more sustainably. The MetalMatters campaign has a had a really positive impact on raising awareness of the importance of recycling all metal packaging and has also helped boost overall recycling levels in other areas of the country – so we’re really looking forward to supporting the campaign in Leeds.”

Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, deputy leader and executive member for environment and sustainability said “We are calling on local residents to make their metals matter and help increase Leeds’ recycling performance.   Recycling metal is good for the environment by reducing CO2 emissions and helps reduce the costs of dealing with the city’s waste.   Households in Leeds are recycling just under half of their everyday metal packaging like drinks cans, tins, aerosols and foil.

Every can recycled saves enough energy to run a TV for four hours, so a small action like putting your empty bean tin into your green recycling bin can make a big difference.”

MetalMatters is now in its fifth year and has communicated with over 4.5 million households across 74 Local Authority areas to date. The programme has seen some impressive results with an average of 18% increase in metal packaging capture rates, with some councils achieving an increase in capture rates of 25-28%.   With the revenue from the additional metals collected, authorities have seen a speedy return on their investments, the majority covering their costs within 12 months.

Rick Hindley, Executive Director of project managers Alupro, said: “The launch of the Leeds campaign is a fantastic start to 2017 for MetalMatters, not least because it marks the first time a national retailer has directly supported the campaign and we are delighted to be working with M&S.   The campaign provides a cost effective and easy-to-implement solution for authorities, helping to deliver an improvement in metal packaging capture rates and a sustained positive impact for recycling long after the campaign has been delivered.”

The programme is funded by a partnership of metal packaging manufacturers, fillers and reprocessors and is delivered on their behalf by Alupro, with support from local authorities and their waste collection partners.

MetalMatters increases metal capture rates in Warwick by 28 per cent in just six months

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Warwick District Council has increased kerbside recycling of metal packaging by 28 per cent in just six months – through MetalMatters, the industry-funded communications campaign.

Launched in October 2015 the Warwick MetalMatters campaign directly targeted all 53,000 households in the district with a two phase leaflet drop and additional advertising on recycling vehicles, council information points and at a local cinema. The campaign cost 29p per household and was funded by the MetalMatters industry partnership and SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, who hold the collection contract with Warwick District Council. Additional revenue generated from the increase in metals capture and landfill tax savings meant campaign costs were recouped within six months.

Steve Holgate, Director of Municipal Services at SUEZ said: “The results of MetalMatters in Warwick have been outstanding. We invested to improve the metal capture and recycling rate and we’ve not only seen an increase in the aluminium and the cans but we’ve seen an increase in all recyclable materials across the board. And we’ve had payback in just over six months. It’s definitely been a worthwhile investment and one we are looking to repeat for other contracts we operate in the UK.”

Recycling Development Officer at Warwick District Council, Becky Davies said: “We’ve been in the same position as a lot of local authorities, where we no longer have a budget for recycling promotions and no longer have a dedicated recycling team. This means our recycling levels have been static for a number of years. The MetalMatters campaign has been a big success and has helped to increase the amount of metal recycling captured by 28 per cent and all dry recyclables by 3%.”

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Rick Hindley, Executive Director of project managers, Alupro, said: “The programme has resulted in an additional 2.2kg of metal collected per household demonstrating that industry partnerships and clear recycling communications work time and time again.”

A short film about the MetalMatters project in Warwick is available on the MetalMatters YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvjZltSoejw

Valpak pledges support for MetalMatters

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The Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) has announced that  the UK’s largest packaging compliance scheme, Valpak, has become the latest funding partner to join the MetalMatters programme, which aims to boost the capture rates for metal packaging collected at kerbside.

As the UK’s leading provider of environmental compliance and data management services – Valpak believes that supporting the industry-funded recycling communications programme reflects commitment to continue to boost the recycling of packaging on behalf of its members.

Adrian Hawkes, Policy Director at Valpak says: “Having monitored the MetalMatters programme since the initial pilot campaign in 2010, we have seen the real difference it has made in helping to boost recycling rates for metal packaging and deliver a lasting benefit to both local authorities and producers.

“MetalMatters is a great example of industry and local authorities working together to engage local communities, drive up recycling rates and support the recycling sector. We recognise that high quality communications directly targeting households will play a key role in delivering increased recycling rates and are keen to actively support the ongoing development of the programme.”

Rick Hindley, Executive Director of project managers, Alupro says: “We are delighted to welcome Valpak as a MetalMatters funding partner. Their contribution will allow us to expand the programme into new local authority areas. Our successes to date show that partnerships work; and our programmes are making a major contribution to delivering lasting and positive behaviour change.

“Thanks to the value of the additional metal packaging collected and landfill avoided MetalMatters campaigns typically recover the financial investment within 12 months, delivering outstanding return on investment for local authorities and their waste management partners.”

To date MetalMatters campaigns have been delivered in 73 local authorities across the UK, and in 2016 have already directly targeted over 1 million households.  The campaign is based around a two-phase leaflet drop which informs and reminds householders about what and how to recycle, and explain what happens to metal packaging when it is recycled.

The programme is funded by a partnership of metal packaging manufacturers, fillers and reprocessors and is delivered on their behalf by Alupro, with support from local authorities and their waste collection partners.

LUTON RESIDENTS URGED TO MAKE THEIR METALS MATTER

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Luton Borough Council is urging residents to make their ‘metals matter’ by encouraging them to recycle more of the estimated 94 million cans, aerosols, aluminium foil trays and wrapping foil used in Luton every year.* Read more

MetalMatters: The numbers keep growing!

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Metal Recycling: Northampton: Launch of campaign to get Northampton Borough residents to recycle even more metal - aerosols, metal containers, take-away trays, Saturday March 5, 2016

MetalMatters launches in Northampton

MetalMatters has launched four new campaigns reaching over three quarters of a million people since the start of the year. This brings the total reach of the campaign since it began to 4.35 million households. Campaigns are currently running in North Lincolnshire, Oxford and all 12 districts of the Kent Resource Partnership. The latest to launch is in Northampton, which got underway this week [7th March 2016].

The metal packaging sector’s partnership communications programme began as a pilot programme in 2010, achieving impressive increases in capture rates for metals collected in two local authority kerbside schemes. The Northampton campaign brings the number of local authorities benefiting from the programme to 73.

MetalMatters is providing local authorities with an ‘off the shelf’ campaign which can be tailored to suit budgets and local marketing channels. The message that metals can be recycled forever, and can be transformed into new objects over and over again resonates very powerfully with people of all ages and backgrounds. Put simply: they get it!

MetalMatters communications materials equip local authorities with the resources to explain, educate and remind people about the value of recycling. The campaign is based around two leaflet drops, which take place six to eight weeks apart, and the messages can be further reinforced through advertising, collection vehicle livery panels, local roadshows and PR activity. Templates for all types of campaign are available – saving councils time and budget on developing new materials. How much additional promotional activity takes place is down to the local authority, but support and advice is provided at each step of the project by programme managers, Alupro. And with the value of additional metal collected campaign costs can be recovered within months – campaigns in Shropshire and Kent (2012) demonstrating clearly the financial benefits.

Although the focus is on metal packaging in the household the evidence is that the ‘transformation’ message communicated by MetalMatters is boosting collection of other dry recyclables at the kerbside. So this is one industry partnership that’s working in partnership with local authorities to help raise awareness and increase participation to everyone’s benefit.