It was a double celebration for Hampshire’s councils as the highly successful Recycle for Hampshire marked its first birthday with news that indications were suggesting the collective recycling and composting rate for the Project Integra partnership had reached 30%.

The campaign was launched back in March 2005 by Hampshire-born Olympic athlete Roger Black, following a successful funding bid from the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP). Since then, Recycle for Hampshire has gone from strength to strength, consolidating the county’s position as a lead player in the waste industry.

Designed not only to raise awareness of recycling but to actually change behaviour, the campaign has embraced a multitude of innovative communication methods to get the recycling message across. This has included a major doorstepping programme, new educational materials and visits for local schools, eye catching but easy to understand printed materials, and a new interactive website – www.recycleforhampshire.org.uk.

Good communications however, must be accompanied by excellent services, and the campaign has also focused on delivering training for frontline staff such as collection crews and support line operators, whilst also showing a commitment to ‘getting our own house in order’ by piloting recycling and waste minimisation schemes in council offices.

Steve Read, Executive Officer of Project Integra, Hampshire’s waste partnership, said: “Hampshire is extremely fortunate to now have some of the very best waste and recycling infrastructure in the UK, including two MRFs, three large composting sites, three energy recovery facilities, and a world class glass sorting plant. Our target for 2005 was therefore to ensure that as the infrastructure was now in place, that they were being utilised to their maximum potential.

“This campaign has been a tremendous success, and will help greatly as we strive to achieve our target of recycling half of Hampshire’s rubbish by 2010. Once again, Integra partners have shown that we are not afraid to try new things, but as ever, all this is only possible thanks to the continued support of our residents, whose hard work and enthusiasm help to make Hampshire one of the best areas for recycling in the country.”

ENDS

For more information, please contact Paul Laughlin, 01962 846629, or e-mail paul.laughlin@hants.gov.uk.

15 March 2006