Make recycling your goal for the BIG recycle
21 June 2005
Four times Olympic champion Sir Matthew Pinsent is urging residents to make recycling their goal.
Matthew is supporting a high profile campaign called ‘the BIG Recycle’, which aims to encourage more people throughout England to recycle more of their household waste, more often.
The Recycle Western Riverside campaign, which is working alongside four London borough councils to raise recycling rates, is organising events during the Big Recycle week throughout the Western Riverside region (London boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham, Lambeth, Wandsworth and Kensington and Chelsea).
A huge orange recycling sack will be situated in public venues from Monday 27 June to Saturday 2 July and passers by will be encouraged to throw recyclable materials such as plastic bottles and newspapers into the bag to score a “recycling goal”. Anyone taking part will receive a canvas bag (which can be used instead of a plastic shopping bag) filled with pens and pads made from recycled paper, leaflets with information about recycling and a ‘no junk mail’ sticker which residents can stick on their letterbox to discourage junk mail droppers.
Mayors from each borough will be one of the first to score a recycling goal and urge local residents to get involved and learn more about recycling in their borough.
Matthew Pinsent, who even recycles his own rowing kits, was keen to back the campaign.
He said: “I’ve always been a big believer in recycling and use my local council’s doorstep collection service. I don’t even have to think about it now, I just do it. If we all realised what a massive difference we could make by recycling used packaging, such as soft drinks and food cans, paper, glass, plastic bottles and jars, I think we would all do it.
“I know from my own experience that it has never been easier to make recycling a part of your everyday life. That’s what the BIG recycle is all about – letting people know how and where they can do it, wherever they live.”
All four boroughs in the Western Riverside region support recycling through kerbside collection schemes and recycling banks for blocks of flats.
Jim Fielder, Campaign Manager for Recycle Western Riverside, says: “We’re delighted to be supporting the BIG Recycle in June, and encourage anyone who sees our big orange sack to come a score a ‘recycling goal’.”