A new campaign has been launched in Greater Manchester to spread the concept of a ‘circular economy’ encouraging residents to recycle items at home and reuse and repair where possible.
Called #InTheLoopGM, the campaign is organised by the Recycle for Greater Manchester organisation with the message that many people in Manchester are ‘doing the right thing’ in terms of recycling, but that the more items which are recycled, the more a circular economy is achieved.
Recycle for Greater Manchester works with councils in Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford, although Wigan – while in Greater Manchester – runs it own services. Suez UK operates as the Greater Manchester waste contractor.
The area currently has a recycling rate of around 50%.
In a statement Recycle for Greater Manchester said: “Many people across Greater Manchester are already part of the circular economy by recycling the right stuff in the right bin at home, which is reducing waste by keeping things in use for as long as possible.
“Currently humans use up 1.8 earth’s worth of resources each year. This is having a very damaging impact on the environment and it’s vitally important we keep items in use for as long as possible, the more times an item is recycled, the better it is for the environment.”
The organisation continued: “Recycling saves resources and energy, for example recycling an aluminium can uses 95% less energy than if it was made from scratch. Items like aluminium cans, glass bottles and jars, and plastic bottles are part of a big loop, meaning they can be recycled again and again. Aluminium cans and glass bottles and jars can stay #InTheLoopGM forever, as they can be recycled infinitely, part of the recycled glass bottles and jars in your cupboard could be up to 45 years old.”
The point is made that “Glass from Greater Manchester households is turned back into new jars right here in the North of England. In fact, the majority of recycled materials collected from households in Greater Manchester stay local:
- Our paper and cardboard is recycled at a paper mill in Trafford, which could be back in the loop by the next week.
- Our food waste is transformed into compost in Todmorden, then used to grow crops down the road in Warrington.
- Aluminium cans start their new life in Warrington, then they can be back on the supermarket shelves in just six weeks.
- Our general waste is even transformed into energy at sites in Bolton and Runcorn and used to power homes and businesses.
As well as encouraging residents to recycle, the campaign will also share messages of repair and reuse with tutorial videos. Recycle for Greater Manchester will also be encouraging residents to get the most from Renew Shops.
Eamonn Boylan, Greater Manchester chief executive lead for waste, said: “Greater Manchester recycling rates are already above 50%, but we know we can do more to help recycle, repair and reuse more items.
“Keeping things in use as long as possible by recycling, repairing and reusing waste is vitally important to help us reduce our impact on the environment and reduce our carbon emissions, but it also helps us all save money by reducing the amount we purchase and the amount of items we throw away.”
A YouTube video explaining the campaign is available here
