Valpak is backing a project in the North East of England to encourage recycling of materials that are currently underperforming when it comes to their collection.
In Durham, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland, aerosols and glass jars are being targeted while aerosols and hard plastic bottles are the focus in Northumberland. This is because the collection of these materials is poor compared to the area average.
Valpak is providing the prizes in an incentive scheme that will see one winner from each authority being the recipient of a laptop, game console or MP3 player. Residents must first of all request personalised stickers for their household, which are placed on the material to enter them into the draw.
The initiative is being run by Waste Aware North East and Valpak, with funding coming from both Valpak and Defra.
Valpak service development manager James Skidmore said: “Residents of the North East are generally very good recyclers, but as it is seen throughout the rest of the country, there remain a small number of issues to address.
“It is believed that many householders are not aware that aerosols and hard plastic bottles can be recycled. Furthermore, they are often used away from the kitchen, which is where recycling tends to take place in many households. Also while the recycling rate of glass bottles is high, the equivalent for glass jars is lower due to the presence of residues, which need to be rinsed out. We hope that this initiative will help to raise awareness of the importance of recycling these items and rewards the further improvement in recycling performance across the participating authorities.”
