A new campaign promoting metal packaging recycling has been introduced by Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council. In a bid to improve kerbside recycling rates, households across the region are being encouraged to recycle their metal packaging including food and drinks cans, aluminium wrapping foil and foil trays, as well as empty aerosols and metal screw tops.

Spearheaded by the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro), the ‘MetalMatters’ programme will use targeted social media messaging and bus advertising to communicate the widespread benefits of metal packaging recycling.

The six-week initiative is expected to reach more than 228,000 households across the two local authorities. Since its launch in 2012, more than 121 local authorities have adopted MetalMatters, with recycling rates improving as a result.

Councillor Denise Rollo, Cumberland Council’s Executive Member for Sustainable, Resilient and Connected Places, commented:

“Our goal is to drive recycling rates up and reduce waste by identifying environmentally responsible ways to meet the needs of our local communities. MetalMatters will allow us to engage with residents across our Cumberland area, encouraging them to think about their recycling habits and how best to dispose of their metal packaging.”

Councillor Dyan Jones, Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet Member for Customer and Waste Services, added:

“Many across Westmorland and Furness are already committed to recycling and reducing waste which is great news, but we can do more.

“This latest campaign encourages people to think about recycling more metal packaging found throughout their home, whether in the kitchen, bathroom or bedroom. Food and drink cans, foil and empty aerosols are all easily and endlessly recyclable.

“It’s worth remembering that every aluminium can you recycle saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours – so a small action like putting your empty baked beans can into your recycling container can make a big difference.”

Tom Giddings, executive director of Alupro, added:

“For more than a decade, our MetalMatters programme has been educating the public about the benefits and importance of recycling metal packaging. We’re confident that the introduction of this campaign will help to drive an increase in recycling rates and households taking positive action across Cumbria.

“For us, the most important message is that metal is infinitely recyclable, meaning the quality and properties of the metal will be unchanged during the recycling process. Making a few small changes can add up to a big environmental impact.”

Funded by the metal packaging industry, MetalMatters aims to educate householders about the benefits of metal packaging and encourage them to recycle. Designed to support kerbside recycling schemes, MetalMatters can be run by any local authority, either region-wide, by collection round or even by demographic targeting.

For more information about MetalMatters, or to register your interest, visit, www.metalmatters.org.uk, email info@alupro.org.uk.