Devon tells locals to Rethink Rubbish

Devon County Council has launched a recycling awareness campaign, ‘Rethink Rubbish’, funded by a £1million grant from the government’s Household Waste Minimisation Fund. The campaign will promote the use of the county’s existing recycling facilities through doorstepping, advertising and waste analysis.

At the launch, television presenter Philippa Forrester told the county, “You’re doing well, now do it more!” Devon is already in the top five counties, with a recycling rate of 20% compared to the national average of just 11%. Environment Minister Michael Meacher also warmly welcomed the project, which is aiming for an overall increase in recycling of 5%, with at least a 10% rise in the use of kerbside schemes.

Advertising will be placed in newspapers, bus shelters, radio and television, while roadshows will tour the county with Weapons of Sound, a band that produces music from rubbish. Schools and homes will also be targeted, where doorstep surveys will assess attitudes about recycling and let Devon households know how they can recycle more.

The results of the survey will shape the campaign’s future strategies and actions, while an ongoing analysis of household waste will be used to gauge if the core messages about recycling, what to recycle and how to do it, are filtering through to action.

Philippa Forrester ended the launch by recycling her invitation to the event, consisting of a crushed can and a card.