Press Releases
New National Can Recycling Campaign Launches in Birmingham
09/04/2009
Birmingham has been chosen as the first city in the UK to launch an innovative new workplace recycling scheme called Every Can Counts. The scheme is designed to get workers to help recycle the 2.3 billion of drinks cans that are estimated to be consumed away from home every year.
Regional Development Agency Advantage West Midlands has welcomed Every Can Counts and is asking businesses in Birmingham to develop a ‘crush on cans'. "We want Birmingham to lead the way in workplace recycling", said Tim Baldwin, waste policy manager of Advantage West Midlands.
He added: "Businesses can cut their waste management costs and their CO2 emissions by encouraging staff to recycle drinks cans. They can also use Every Can Counts to improve their corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies, which are increasingly important, particularly for businesses involved with competitive tendering where proof of commitment to recycling and sustainability is becoming almost mandatory in some sectors."
The Every Can Counts programme links businesses with recycling service collectors and supports workplace recycling by providing a range of branded resources such as posters, screensavers and can collection containers. The programme is jointly funded by the organisations representing the major drinks can manufacturers - Beverage Can Makers Europe (BCME) and UK Canmakers (see Editors note) - together with WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) and the aluminium and steel packaging producers and reprocessors.
Jane Carver, programme manager for Every Can Counts said: "Every Can Counts makes workplace recycling simple and cost effective. It's an easy way to help employees take care of the environment and contribute to profitability. We estimate that the West Midlands could recycle an extra 230 million drinks cans a year, saving energy and valuable natural resources, if businesses introduced workplace can recycling schemes."
She added: "The government expects the West Midlands to be a zero waste region by 2020. It needs Birmingham's help to achieve that ambition. Every Can Counts is here to support businesses in the city that want to use recycling in their strategies to achieve a zero waste target."
Businesses can get advice and resources to help them encourage staff to recycle drinks cans at work by visiting Birmingham's Every Can Counts website www.everycancounts.co.uk/startnow or by calling 0845 722 7722.
