Kerbside first for Alupro
Two more UK local authorities are to launch Alupro’s “Leave Your Cap On” recycling communications campaign, which encourages recyclers to screw the aluminium caps back onto glass bottles before recycling. The new campaigns have seen ‘Leave your cap on’ stickers applied to over 870 glass banks across Leeds and 191 in North Lincolnshire. In addition North Lincolnshire Council is the first to take the message kerbside, running a trial in one round.
The programme, which has been developed by Alupro (the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation) in partnership with British Glass and EAFA (European Aluminium Foil Association), aims to increase the recovery of aluminium screw caps and closures, used predominantly on wine and spirits and cooking ingredients such as olive oil, as the metal can be successfully recovered during the glass recycling process.
The ‘Leave your cap on’ campaign follows research by Alupro into the UK closure market which revealed that approximately 5,000 tonnes of aluminium from caps and closures could be recovered; equating to over £2 million worth of aluminium, at current material prices.
Rick Hindley, Executive Director at Alupro, said: “The market for aluminium bottle closures is growing rapidly, particularly for wine bottles, so it is important that the consumer gets in the habit of recycling them so that the aluminium can be captured for reprocessing. There are now six local authorities running ‘Leave your cap on’ campaigns on banks and the launch of the first kerbside programme is exciting news. The message to the public is simple; screwing the top back on the empty bottle before recycling is the easiest way for people to do their bit to recycle this valuable material.”
Speaking about the launch in Leeds, Councillor Mark Dobson, executive member for the environment, Leeds City Council, said: “The recycling potential of aluminium is enormous. Recycling the screw tops from glass bottles is just as important as recycling the glass itself. The festive season is the ideal time to try and get people into the habit of screwing caps back on and help to boost our recycling figures.”
Local authorities interested in finding out more about running a ‘Leave your cap on’ campaign should contact Alupro on 01527 597757 or email [email protected]
