MetalMatters launches most ambitious programme to date in Kent

MetalMatters, the metal packaging industry-led programme designed to increase the capture rate for metal packaging collected at the kerbside, has launched its most ambitious campaign to date, in partnership with Kent Waste Partnership. The latest campaign sees the marketing communications campaign roll out across 12 local authorities in Kent. It will run until early December and will include two direct mail drops to each of the 630,000 households in the county.

Since its pilot in 2010 MetalMatters has been closely followed by policy makers, and featured in the Government’s Review of Waste Policy in 2011 as an example of Best Practice. Now recently-appointed Minister for Resources, Local Environment and Environmental Science Lord de Mauley has also given the programme his support.

Commenting on the launch Lord de Mauley said: “MetalMatters is a great example of how industry and local authorities can work together to engage local communities, drive up recycling rates and also support further development of our waste management and recycling sectors. The programme in Kent is on a very ambitious scale and we will follow this campaign with interest to see what it achieves.”

The Kent campaign includes leaflets, which will be sent to every home in all 12 districts, supported by locally-targeted advertising and awareness-raising events. Recycling vehicles and buses will carry the ‘make your metals matter’ message. The eight week campaign, which is managed by Alupro, is being jointly funded by an industry partnership comprising the UK’s leading producers, users and recyclers of metal packaging and Kent Waste Partnership.

Cllr Paul Barrington-King, Chairman of Kent Waste Partnership (KWP) said: “The partnership between the KWP and MetalMatters demonstrates the clear desire for Kent’s councils to work strategically and practically on improving the capture of valuable recyclates. The support of the Minister for the programme validates our supply chain approach is very much the way to go. It continues to place the KWP at the vanguard of supply chain thinking and activities’

Rick Hindley, Executive Director of Alupro added: “2012 has been an exciting year for MetalMatters, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to run the programme on such a grand scale in Kent. We are looking forward to seeing how the campaign develops and the impact it has on household metal packaging and attitudes to recycling.”

There have been five MetalMatters campaigns during 2012 covering 27 local authorities and reaching 1.5 million households.

Making Metals Matter

So far this year MetalMatters has helped 15 local authorities and waste partnerships educate householders about the value of recycling metals in a bid to improve capture. The campaigns, developed by project managers Alupro in partnership with the local authorities, have so far reached 870,000 households in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Merseyside and Hampshire. Two further projects are currently in development.
MetalMatters developed out of a project by the Beverage Can Makers Europe (BCME), WRAP, Novelis and Tata Steel to understand why, when over 95% of local authority residents have access to recycling schemes, capture rates are at a relatively low level.

The campaign encourages householders “to recycle more things more often” and focuses on the endless potential for ‘transformation’ that household metal packaging has, enabling it to be turned into an infinite variety of objects — from MP3 players to kettles and car parts and, of course, more packaging. It was named ‘Communications Campaign of the Year’ at the CIWM Awards for Excellence in 2011 and was cited in the 2011 Waste Policy Review for England and Wales as an example of ‘best practice.

In the past 12 months MetalMatters has attracted additional funding support from the packaging industry, and partners now include leading food and drink container manufacturers and major brand owners. Local campaigns have also received additional funding from central funds. Full details of the programme partners, and case studies of the projects carried out so far can be found on this website.

The results from the 2012 programmes will be published during Autumn 2012. If you would like to receive this information please subscribe here.