Norfolk school enjoys recycling workshop after pupil wins national competition

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Children from The Bawburgh School in Norfolk were treated to an interactive aluminium recycling workshop, after one Year 5 pupil won a national competition organised by Fun Kids Radio and Alupro.

10-year-old Benjamin was awarded first place, from a significant amount of entrants across the UK, after correctly identifying that more than 75% of aluminium ever made is still in use today. The prize secured Benjamin and his classmates a workshop with social enterprise Casting Innovations, who provided the unique opportunity to watch the aluminium recycling process first-hand, with metal melted at temperatures of more than 1000ºC in a controlled and safe environment at their school.

With the class watching on, the Casting Innovations team melted down used drink cans collected by pupils and cast them into moulds made by the pupils earlier in the workshop. Each pupil took home a recycled keyring as a memento of the day and to remind them about the importance of recycling, sustainability and the infinite circularity of aluminium packaging.

Tom Giddings, executive director of Alupro, commented: “Our collaboration with Fun Kids Radio came as part of a wider campaign to get primary and secondary school pupils excited about recycling. We recorded a series of ten webinars exploring the properties of aluminium, which are each available to download for free from the Fun Kids website.

“To celebrate the launch, we also hosted a competition, which attracted thousands of entries from school children nationwide. We were so impressed with the number of entries received and offer our congratulations to Benjamin on winning the top prize.”

For more information about the podcast series, or to download the ten episodes, visit www.funkidslive.com.

Preston City Council partners with Alupro to increase foil recycling

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A new programme promoting aluminium recycling has been rolled out by Preston City Council. Residents are being encouraged to rinse and recycle their clean foil trays and wrapping foil, empty aerosols, drink cans and tins.

‘Clean Me’, a campaign run by the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro), will see creative advertisements placed on billboards, buses and bus shelters across the city. Launching on 10 October, the programme will run for six weeks and aims to increase the amount of endlessly recyclable metal packaging that is recycled by households across the city.

Councillor Carol Henshaw, Cabinet member for climate change at Preston City Council, said “As a council, we’re always looking for ways to further encourage householders to recycle as much of their waste as possible. Working in partnership with Alupro to deliver this new campaign will allow us to engage with thousands of residents, encouraging them to think carefully about how they dispose of aluminium packaging.

“While most households in Preston already recycle a high percentage of used aluminium, we want them to go one step further and rinse these materials to minimise the risk of contamination. It’s a simple job, but one that really benefits the environment!”

Tom Giddings, executive director of Alupro, added “Initiatives such as our ‘Clean Me’ foil campaign are vital to our work in educating the public about best practice recycling. The great thing about aluminium is that it’s infinitely recyclable – you can melt it down and reform it to create new products or packaging materials time and time again. By rinsing cans, tins and trays, you minimise the risk of food residue from contaminating recycling loads, so encouraging householders to do this is such a beneficial initiative.”

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Alupro to exhibit latest campaigns at LARAC 2022

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Alupro, the aluminium packaging recycling organisation, is set to showcase its latest communications and educational programmes at this year’s LARAC Conference. Taking place at The Hilton Metropole in Birmingham between 5-6 October, the leading waste and recycling event will bring together thousands of local authority representatives from across the UK.

Exhibiting at stand 14 in the Kings Suite, members of the Alupro team are set to showcase their latest campaigns. Alongside MetalMatters, a direct engagement initiative that aims to inspire homeowners to recycle their metal packaging, delegates will have the opportunity to learn about Every Can Counts, a programme that encourages consumers to recycle beverage cans outside of the home.

First launched in 2012, MetalMatters has since been adopted by 112 councils nationwide, reaching more than seven million households. In 2021, the programme added the option of digital engagement tactics, using a variety of social media platforms to communicate targeted recycling messages towards difficult to reach audiences.

In addition to the awareness initiatives, Alupro will also showcase its latest education programme, ‘Bin-fluencers’, which provides an engaging way for teachers to bring recycling into the curriculum.

Tom Giddings, executive director at Alupro, commented: “As the leading event in the local authority waste and recycling calendar, we’re looking forward to attending the LARAC Conference to discuss our latest initiatives with delegates. While many local authorities will be aware of our work, there will be plenty of opportunities to further expand our reach.

“Our programmes aim to engage with key audiences and drive the message of best practice aluminium packaging recycling. We appreciate the opportunity to speak with delegates to discuss how a collaboration with Alupro could help to drive an uplift in kerbside collection volumes.”

For more information about Alupro, or the organisation’s educational programmes, visit www.metalmatters.org.uk, www.everycancounts.co.uk or www.learningaluminium.co.uk.

Suffolk Waste Partnership & Alupro launch campaign to improve metal packaging recycling rate

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A new programme promoting metal packaging recycling has been rolled out by the Suffolk Waste Partnership. Homeowners across the region are being encouraged to recycle their food and drinks cans, aluminium wrapping foil and foil trays, empty aerosols and metal screw tops, in a bid to improve kerbside recycling rates.

‘MetalMatters’, run by the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro), will use a targeted social media programme, supported by an outdoor advertising campaign, to engage with householders and communicate the widespread benefits of metal packaging recycling. Suffolk is the 112th local authority area in the UK to implement the programme, which has already reached more than seven million households across the UK since its launch in 2012.

The campaign will run for a 6-week period and is expected to reach many of Suffolk’s 350,000 households.

Cllr James Mallinder, Chair of the Suffolk Waste Partnership commented: “While we already encourage householders to recycle as much of their waste as possible, we knew there was more we could do. Working with MetalMatters will allow us to engage with residents in a creative way, encouraging them to think about how best to dispose of their metal packaging.”

Tom Giddings, executive director of Alupro, added: “Our MetalMatters programme has been running for more than a decade, educating the public about the benefits of recycling metal packaging and positively influencing kerbside capture rates. From prior experience, we’re confident to say that the Suffolk Waste Partnership will see a rise in recycling rates and householders taking positive action as a result of the campaign.

“After all, metal recycles forever, so making a few small changes can add up to a big environmental difference. It’s a message that really resonates.”

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.

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