Essex County Council is rolling out a digital communications campaign to promote the benefits of recycling metal packaging. Launched this week (3 March), the programme will target more than 600,000 households across the region.

Delivered by Alupro, ‘MetalMatters’ will harness social media to engage with residents and communicate the benefits of recycling metal packaging. Creative imagery and engaging copy will help to improve understanding and foster positive behavioural change.

Councillor Peter Schwier, Climate Czar and Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste Reduction and Recycling at Essex County Council said: “From food and drink cans and wrapping foil, to empty aerosols, screw tops, trays and tubes, households across Essex generate a huge volume of metal packaging waste every week. Understanding how best to separate items for recycling, as well as the benefits of doing so, are key to increasing capture rates at the kerbside.

“By partnering with Alupro and rolling out its MetalMatters initiative, we aim to improve recycling rates across the county and ensure that valuable materials can be used again and again.”

Tom Giddings, executive director of Alupro, added: “Since its launch in 2012, MetalMatters has helped to drive a widespread national uplift in metal packaging collection volumes. We’ve collaborated with hundreds of local authorities and reached millions of households nationwide.

“We’re looking forward to working with Essex County Council to deliver an entirely digital programme, which will work to increase recycling rates by encouraging local residents to take positive action.”

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 implemented by local authorities across a region, by collection round or by demographic targeting.

For more information about MetalMatters visit www.metalmatters.org.uk.

ENDS