Council metals recycling campaign shortlisted

A campaign by Orkney Islands Council to boost metals recycling rates in the county has been shortlisted for a national award.

The council’s MetalMatters campaign has been shortlisted in the Campaign of the Year (Up to £10k) category of the MRW National Recycling Awards.

The awards aim to recognise and celebrate best practice and innovation in recycling and waste management across the UK.

Orkney’s ‘MetalMatters’ campaign was aimed at promoting a new wider range of metals householders could recycle in Orkney, and encouraging uptake.

It saw the amount of metals deposited at the council’s Household Waste and Recycling Centres increase by 44.5 per cent (by weight) between Sept 2017 and January 2019, while metal put out for kerbside collections increased by 19.4 per cent in the same period.

Councillor Graham Sinclair is chair of the council’s development and infrastructure committee: “It’s gratifying to see the work of our waste team and our community being recognised in this way.

“The increases we’ve seen in metal packaging recycling has not only offset the costs of providing waste disposal services to the tune of £4,500 per annum over the period — it has also helped divert valuable finite resources from incineration.

“I would once again thank the residents of Orkney — we couldn’t have achieved these results without them.”

The campaign was run jointly with not-for-profit organisation Alupro, who work to fulfil the aluminium packaging industry’s obligation to meet, and exceed, recycling targets for aluminium packaging.

The campaign targeted over 11,000 households over a 12-week period, with a budget of £6,625 (around 60p per household) for leaflets, vehicle livery and promotional outdoor banners.

With the income brought by increased recycling, and the landfill costs averted, the campaign paid for itself in just under 17 months.

Winners will be announced on Thursday, June 27. Find out more about the awards at here.