Published on: May 27, 2010

Published by: admin

27th August, 2010 – Shoppers, visitors, retailers and tenants in Willow Place and Corby Town Centre have been given the opportunity to recycle drinks cans ‘on-the-go’, thanks to the Every Can Counts programme. The recently launched initiative aims to improve recycling outside of the home, and Land Securities’ ownedWillow Place and Corby Town Centre will be the first in theUK shopping centre to trial Every Can Counts.

Each of the 174 stores and restaurants within Willow Place and Corby Town Centre have been provided with Every Can Counts recycling boxes and promotional materials for both staff and shoppers, whilst four can crushers have been placed in high footfall areas around the town centre.

The recycling programme is another environmental first for Corby, as Willow Place and Corby Town Centre was among the first Land Securities sites to achieve zero waste to landfill. The shopping centre was also a finalist in the ‘High Street Recycling Champion’ category at the letsrecycle.com Awards for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management 2010.  Daniel Pickard, Town Centre Director for Willow Place & Corby Town Centre says: “We’re really excited to be launching the first ever Every Can Counts programme in a shopping centre here in Corby.  We truly believe in environmental sustainability here, so we are delighted to be able to engage with our shoppers and allow them to recycle their own cans, in one easy push. We’re hoping that other shopping centres will follow our example and introduce Every Can Counts.”

Every Can Counts has been introduced as part of a focused green strategy, which is being implemented by theUK’s largest commercial property company. The initiative demonstrates an environmental commitment, which includes diverting as much waste from landfill as possible.

Rick Hindley of Every Can Counts comments: “Of the eight billion drink cans sold in theUKeach year around 30% are consumed ‘on the go’. That’s equivalent to over 40,000 tonnes of aluminium and steel drinks cans, which might otherwise be lost to landfill. As every part of a drinks can is infinitely recyclable it’s really important that it is easy for people to recycle whenever they are out and about.  This new partnership with Willow Place and Corby town centre marks a significant step forward in our efforts to make it easier for people to recycle outside the home and we congratulate Land Securities for their commitment to recycling. We have high hopes for this partnership, and hope to use our experience in Corby to develop projects with other retail sites, including others managed by Land Securities, in the future.”

Although Corby is the first retail site to introduce Every Can Counts the programme is being actively promoted to ‘on the go’ consumers, including at the recent V Festival, Isle of Wight Festival and to beach goers on the south coast.

For more information, visit: www.everycancounts.co.uk

Ends

For images, further information or to talk with Every Can Counts, please contact: Clara Biu at onechocolate communications on 020 7437 0227 or ukbcme@onechocolatecomms.co.uk.

Notes to editors

Key drinks can stats:

• The can is the most recycled drinks pack and can be back on the shelves in six weeks
• Reusing recycled metals can save as much as 95% of the energy needed to make cans from virgin ores
• Making cans from recycled materials cuts greenhouse gas emissions by up to 95%
• Infrastructure exists to recycle every can consumed in theUK
• Recycling one soft drinks can save enough energy to power a TV for 3 hours

Key Willow Placeand Corby Town Centre stats:

• Approximately 7million visitors each year
• Willow Placeand Corby Town Centre is a 28 acre mixed-use site, owned and managed by Land Securities, incorporating 174 retail units.

About Every Can Counts

Every Can Counts is a partnership between the European and UK drinks can manufacturers, the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the aluminium and steel packaging and recycling industries.  It aims to enable and encourage more people to recycle the drinks cans they use outside the home.  For more information visit www.everycancounts.co.uk/about

You can also follow Every Can Counts on Facebook and Twitter

Every Can Counts – Funding Partners

1. BCME (Beverage Can Makers Europe) is a not-for-profit making association whose prime objective is to promote the beverage can inEurope. The three members are: Ball Packaging Europe, Crown Bevcan Europe andMiddle East and Rexam Beverage can Europe & Asia

2.The UK Canmakers represents theUK manufacturers of beer and carbonated soft drinks cans and promotes the benefits of the drinks can and aid communications between the industry and its customers: the brewers and soft drinks manufacturers and the retailers, as well as the packaging industry, the media and consumers

3. WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) helps individuals, businesses and local authorities to reduce waste and recycle more, making better use of resources and helping to tackle climate change.

4. Novelis operates Europe’s only dedicated used aluminium can recycling plant inWarrington,Cheshire.  The plant has the capacity to recycle every aluminium can sold in theUK for the foreseeable future (currently 6.6 billion cans, which equates to approximately 101,000 tonnes in weight).

5. Corus Steel Packaging Recycling: Corus is the largest steel recycler in theUK. Corus Steel Packaging Recycling promotes steel packaging recycling to consumers, local authorities and the commercial sector

About Land Securities

• Land Securities is theUK’s leading Real Estate Investment Trust with a national portfolio of commercial property worth around £12 billion. Our investment portfolio also has more than 50 retail parks and shopping centres includingBristol’s Cabot Circus andExeter’s quadruple award-winning Princesshay site.
• Land Securities aims to lead the sector on sustainability and environment by creating awareness and facilitating education for its occupiers and customers.
• Land Securities’ multi billion pound development programme is transforming regional city centres includingCardiffand Leeds, keyCentral Londonsites and delivering long-term, large-scale regeneration projects in the South East.
• Half of the Land Securities’ portfolio is inLondon, where it owns landmark buildings such as the Piccadilly Lights andWestminsterCity Hall, and is developing some of the capital’s most innovative mixed-use schemes, such as One New Change in Mid-town and Park House onOxford Street.