MetalMatters recycling campaign used by one-fifth of UK councils after September surge
One in five councils in the UK have now run MetalMatters campaigns to boost recycling of metal packaging after seven new campaigns launched over the past two months.

Councils in Bristol City, South Staffordshire, Calderdale, Castle Point, Cheshire West and Chester, Orkney and West Dunbartonshire have all started new campaigns since September, with two-phases of leaflets informing householders about what metal items they can recycle and how as well as other communications materials including bin stickers, public transport posters and cinema adverts.
Orkney Council is the smallest local authority in the UK, with a population of just 20,000 and a recycling infrastructure that relies heavily on bring banks. The campaign is being used there to inform residents that aerosols and foils have been added to kerbside collections for the first time, with the council stating that it hopes ‘the combination of information, education and reinforcement of the campaign messages will prove to be a positive method of boosting recycling rates.
Rick Hindley, Executive Director of MetalMatters programme managers, Alupro said: “We are thrilled that one in five councils in the UK have partnered with the MetalMatters programme so far. We are particularly pleased to be working with Orkney: the programme has been deployed in both urban and rural areas and has proved successful in all settings, but this is the first time we have worked with such a small population.
“To date, every deployment has resulted in a positive impact on metal packaging capture rates which clearly demonstrates that focusing on behaviour change will deliver significant increases in recycling rates.”
In August, Tata Steel, the largest supplier and recycler of steel used in packaging sold onto the UK market, increased its support for the programme, with Packaging Recycling Education Manager Nicola Jones stating: “We recognise that local authorities are under huge financial pressures which is impacting on their ability to deliver communications programmes essential for boosting recycling rates. The proven MetalMatters programme delivers impressive improvements in metal packaging recycling rates every time it is deployed. We will be encouraging our packaging customers to get involved.”
Compliance provider Ecosurety, compliance scheme Valpak and Marks & Spencer have all recently partnered with the programme on specific campaigns.