West Norfolk steps up the fight against climate change in Recycle Week
West Norfolk Council says it is proud to step it up in the biggest and best Recycle Week ever.
Recycle Week is the UK’s annual event to build awareness of and encourage increased participation in recycling behaviour. It is organised by WRAP under the Recycle Now brand and takes place until Sunday.
This year Recycle Now welcomes a celebrity ambassador to front Recycle Week and is delighted to be working with TV Presenter, Invictus Games Medallist and Strictly Come Dancing Star JJ Chalmers for the national campaign.
Recycle Now and the borough are asking residents to step it up in the fight against climate change and take action to protect our environment through even better recycling habits.
Mr Chalmers is a keen environmentalist and is partnering with Recycle Now to inspire the nation in the fight against climate change and he said: “I’m thrilled to be part of this year’s campaign. I’m passionate about the environment and how we can battle climate change.
"I am delighted to be working with the Recycle Now team on what has become a really important week of action across the UK.
"I really want to encourage people to look at what they are doing and how they can ‘Step It Up’ and do even more… even better.”
Recycle Now and the borough council are asking West Norfolk to perfect recycling habits and latest research from Recycle Now reveals that almost nine out of ten people now recycle.
However, 55per cent of households put items in the general rubbish bin that can be recycled including foil, aerosols, shampoo and conditioner bottles, plastic trays and cleaning and bleach bottles.
This, say Recycle Now and the borough council, is where we need to ‘Step It Up’. We can all help fight climate change by recycling because recycling currently saves 18 million tonnes of CO2 every year, which is the same as taking 12 million cars off the road.
Every year Recycle Week unites retailers, brands, waste management companies, trade associations, national and local governments and the media to focus on how recycling can play a part in limiting the pressure we put on the planet through our use of natural resources.
Recycle Now and the borough council are here to help. West Norfolk is an area of recyclers but there are some simple things that we can all do to make our recycling even better.
Top tips for recycling include recycling more items such as used shower gel, shampoos and deodorant cans.
Nappies and greasy pizza boxes should never go in the recycling bin.
Recycle Now’s recycling locator can show you exactly what needs to go in the recycling bin where you live by just popping in your postcode.
Craig Stephens, campaign manager for Recycle Now, said: “This year we’re focussed on how recycling can help fight climate change and how by recycling even better we can have a bigger impact on our environment. "Here in West Norfolk it’s no different, more and more of us are recycling, so the next step is to make sure we get our recycling right.
"So come on, west Norfolk, keep up the great work and let’s make the recycling here better than ever before.”
Paul Kunes, cabinet member for environment at the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk said: “Every time we recycle well, making sure only the right things go in the green bin, we reduce CO2 emissions. Recycling an aluminium drinks can uses 95 per cent less energy than producing one from raw materials. The energy saved could power a TV for up to three hours.”
Residents in the borough are also reminded that by using their food caddy and grey outdoor waste bin each week they can also help the environment. A resident in Tilney All Saints won the food waste challenge last week. There are still three more weeks to play and win.
Cllr Kunes said: “Please make sure that you play your part in Recycling Week in West Norfolk. It really does make a difference.”
For the second year running major brands are putting their support/backing behind the Week by donating to help fund it including: - Amazon, British Soft Drinks Association, Britvic, Coca-Cola, Coop, Danone, innocent drinks, Listerine, McDonald’s, The Natural Source Waters Association, Ocado, PepsiCo, Prevented Ocean Plastic, and Waitrose and Partners UK
To find out more about Recycle Week, and to find out what you can and can’t recycle where you live, visit here
To find out more about the food waste challenge visit here
