This Tuesday saw the launch of #LeedsByExample, an innovative recycling drive being trialled in Leeds City Centre and supported by Alex Sobel MP. The initiative was developed by environmental behaviour change charity Hubbub, and recycling compliance scheme Ecosurety, and aims to encourage recycling outside of the home by making it more convenient and fun.
The trial, which will last for six months, is the UK’s biggest on-the-go recycling push and is backed by industry giants such as PepsiCo. It includes creative measures to encourage recycling, such as bubble blowing bins and machines offering rewards such as discount vouchers. Other measures include a recycling app which can be used to scan barcodes on packaging, providing information on how and where it can be recycled.
Alex Sobel MP said “After promoting a Deposit Return Scheme in Parliament and lobbying on behalf of our city, I was pleased that Hubbub chose Leeds for its pilot scheme. I met with Hubbub earlier this year and was pleased to support them in their collaboration with so many outlets in Leeds city centre. Schemes like this are a great start, although there must also be a focus on reusing or moving away from single use plastic altogether.”
Gavin Ellis, Director and Co-Founder of Hubbub said “The huge range of eye-catching recycling bins and communications throughout Leeds city centre will make it really easy for residents, workers and visitors to spot their nearest recycling point. We’re interested to discover which of these will make the biggest difference and will share what we learn openly so that the most successful elements can be rolled out in Leeds and nationally. We’re also making sure that all of the recycling we collect will be processed in the UK as locally as possible.”
Hubbub encourage visitors to Leeds City Centre to:
Use the recycling bins for cans, coffee cups and plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays.
Download the We-Recycle app if you want to check what you can recycle where.
Ensure packaging is empty before you recycle, as leftover food and drink can contaminate whole batches of recycling.
Hang on to your recycling if you can’t spot a bin nearby– with 30+ new recycling points across the city as well as high street chains such as Caffè Nero, Costa Coffee, McDonald’s, Pret A Manger and Starbucks willing to recycle plastic bottles and cups, you’ll never be more than 5 minutes walk from a recycling point.
Follow and share the campaign on social media using #LeedsByExample. For further information on the initiative and to get involved, visit www.leedsbyexample.co.uk
You can find out more at: https://www.hubbub.org.uk/