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From Blue Planet II, to major developments towards reducing unnecessary plastic, this year people have been motivated to care about the environment in a way they never have before. Recycle Now will build on this momentum to make its 15th annual Recycle Week – kicking off today (24 Sept) – the biggest and best ever.
Using the campaign’s new ‘social norming’ approach to messaging it will encourage people to recycle because it’s the norm, with the theme ‘Recycling. We do. Because it matters.’
In preparation for the national week, Recycle Now has been touring the UK with an 8 metre ‘WE DO’ sign which has been photographed at well-known UK buildings and landscapes. Photos from the tour will form the basis of a new out of home advertising campaign and large scale digital campaign highlighting that ‘WE DO’ recycle as a nation. In addition, buildings across the country will be lighting up in green to show support.
It’s clear that today more and more citizens are recycling, with recycling rates going from just 10% in 2000 to over 45% today, but there is still more to do.
“We know recycling can’t answer all the waste issues we are facing, but it’s a key part of the puzzle. It’s important citizens know that if they recycle then their waste has the best chance of being dealt with in the most environmentally friendly way.”
WRAP’s annual recycling tracker survey, published today, shows that while people in the UK say doing their bit for the environment is one of the primary motivations for recycling, they do sometimes find it difficult to identify what is recyclable*.
To help, Recycle Now is taking a localised approach to its media outreach for this year’s Recycle Week. Working alongside local authority partners, it will target key contaminants and missed capture items specific to those areas, giving clarity on what can and can’t be recycled in that area and encouraging residents to recycle more of the right materials in the right way.
Craig Stephens, Recycle Now Campaign Manager, said: “Recycle Week is the perfect opportunity to remind people why recycling is worth it. And this year, more than ever, we have people’s attention and we’re going bigger than ever before! I’m delighted by the support we’re getting from partners. I’m now looking forward to seeing the impact we make with the week.
“We know recycling can’t answer all the waste issues we are facing, but it’s a key part of the puzzle. It’s important citizens know that if they recycle then their waste has the best chance of being dealt with in the most environmentally friendly way.”
There’s still time to get involved and join partners from local authorities to big brands and retailers who are supporting the national ‘WE DO’ campaign*. Download customisable DO/DOES assets developed and provided by Recycle Now along with the DO/DOES campaign strapline that can be localised for your organisation.
Follow Recycle Week on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, use #RecycleWeek and #WeDo