Success of ground-breaking recycling on-the-go trial sparks expansion into Scotland and Wales

Leeds By Example, the UK's biggest collaborative drive to boost recycling in some of the most common food and drink packaging consumed on-the-go, has inspired cities in Scotland and Wales to launch their own campaigns.

Launched to help address the UK’s extremely low on-the-go recycling rates, the ground-breaking six-month trial in Leeds has doubled the number of people recycling plastic, can, and coffee cups and has recycled 600,000 cups in less than six months.

The model will be rolled out in Edinburgh and Swansea later this year, and will also continue for a further six months in Leeds city centre.

Launched in October 2018 by Hubbub and Ecosurety, Leeds By Example has brought together a unique combination of 25 national partners who are funding the scheme and 29 local partners including Leeds City Council.

Together they have installed 124 eye-catching a new recycling points in Leeds city centre, an area that had no. on-the-go recycling facilities before the trial.

As well as on-street bins, these include recycle reward machine, which offer money off vouchers in return for recycling, and other recycling points in retailers and workplaces.

Results from the trial show the proportion of people disposing of plastic, cans, and coffee cups in a recycling bin almost doubled from 17 per cent to 32 per cent.

In addition, to the significant numbers of coffee cups recycled, 65,000 cans and 55,000 bottles were recycled during the six-month period.

Gavin Ellis, Co-founder and Director at Hubbub, said: “When it comes to recycling the packaging we all use, too often the onus is on local authorities to tackle this issue alone.”

“The success of Leeds By Example shows what can be achieved when partners work together to share expertise, grab public attention, and change behaviour.”

“Lack of infrastructure and unclear messaging is a major barrier to recycling in the UK, and results from our trial have shown the importance of new recycling bins supported by a clear, concise call to action.”

“We’re thrilled with the campaign’s success so far and it’s the start of a wider ambition, to create a legacy for Leeds and a tried and tested replicable model for other cities to follow.”

“We’re already looking forward to rolling out the campaign to Edinburgh and Swansea in September and we encourage other cities to get in touch about the possibility of launching in their area in 2020.”