Interactive display shows shoppers what happens to their recycling during National Science Week
8 March 2006
From Saturday, as part of National Science Week (9 -19 March), the Recycle Western Riverside campaign is touring local supermarkets with a fascinating interactive display showing shoppers exactly what happens to their recycling after it is collected.
The display, designed by the Science Museum, reveals how a combination of gravity, magnets and laser beams sorts over 75,000 tonnes of our recycling every year. It shows how our rubbish gets turned into brand new products and shoppers are able to follow the journey their newspapers, cans, bottles and jars make from the recycling bin back to the supermarket shelf.
Shoppers will also be able to see what recycled products they can buy in store and campaign staff will be on hand to answer questions about recycling and hand out free reusable shopping bags.
One of the main themes of this year's National Science Week is 'Exploring Energy', a look at the environmental consequences of how we use energy. Sam Jarvis, Campaign Manager for Recycle Western Riverside, says: "While most people are aware that recycling is good for the environment because it prevents rubbish being buried in landfill sites, what they often don't know is that it also saves a huge amount of energy".
For every tonne of paper recycled in the UK, we save between 3,000 and 4,000 kilowatts of electricity - that's enough to power an average three bedroom house for a whole year. And making a drinks can from recycled aluminium uses around 95% less energy than it takes to make one from scratch.
Sam Jarvis continues: "By showing the science behind recycling in a fun and engaging way, we hope people can learn more about what happens to their rubbish and be inspired to recycle more."