BBC star fronts Repeat The Cycle campaign with new collection points at 4,000 supermarkets
BBC presenter, passionate upcycler, and Strictly Come Dancing star JJ Chalmers has joined the Recycle Now and Clear On Plastics efforts to encourage people to return bags and wrapping at supermarkets, including greeting card cellobags.
The nationwide Repeat The Cycle campaign launched on Monday (28 March), with 4,000 supermarkets across the UK now collecting clean, used household plastic bags and wrapping which are not currently collected for recycling at the kerbside so are sent to landfill.
It is estimated that around 290,000 tonnes of plastic wrapping go into UK bins each year – such as bread bags, crisp packets, salad bags, and greeting card cellowraps – which make up one of the last plastics in Brits’ bins, as more than 84% of local authorities collect plastic bottles, tubs, pots and trays at the kerbside.
In a bid to tackle the issue, over 4,000 UK supermarkets have now introduced recycling collection points in store, and people can find their nearest one using the Recycling Locator run by Recycle Now, while brand-mate Clear On Plastics is using social media and its website to provide information and tips to cut through the confusion on plastics.
The awareness-raising Repeat The Cycle campaign is running until 11 April and JJ, who suffered life-changing injuries in an explosion while serving as a Royal Marine Commando in Afghanistan then won three team trike cycling medals in the 2014 Invictus Games before becoming a BBC presenter as well as dancing his way to the 2020 Strictly Come Dancing quarter-finals and showcasing his crafting and design skills on BBC show Money For Nothing, is starring in a video (see below) to encourage the public to support the initiative.
He said: “I’m thrilled to be supporting Recycle Now to help get the word out on recycling plastic bags and wrapping. It’s a passion of mine to keep stuff like plastics in use and out of the environment – that’s why I do a lot of work on upcycling.
“I think it’s fantastic that we can now gather up our plastic bags, wrapping, and films, and bring them back to the store each time we shop. It’s a simple habit that will make a huge difference to our impact on the natural environment.”
Recycle Now’s latest research shows almost 23% of UK citizens incorrectly put plastic bags and wrapping in their household recycling, while plastic bags and wrapping is one of the most searched-for items on the website by frustrated householders.
Sarah Clayton, head of Recycle Now and Clear On Plastics, said: “Recycling is a growing success story in the UK, with most people now routinely recycling. But, if you look inside people’s bins today there remains one stubborn plastic that most of us can’t recycle at home – items like bread bags, chocolate wrappers, crisp packets and toilet roll wrapping.
“So, we’ve set out to raise awareness and nudge people towards new behaviours by helping them find their nearest recycling point. It’s simply a case of bagging up your used items and taking them to your local participating supermarket when you next go shopping – and Repeat The Cycle!”
The campaign is supported by a host of brands, retailers and businesses signed up to The UK Plastics Pact led by Wrap, the non-government organisation and charity behind the Recycle Now and Clear On Plastics brands.
Participating supermarkets include Tesco, Co-op and Sainsbury’s while other major retailers are on the cusp of rolling out services, or currently trialling options. The campaign is also supported by local authorities and UK Governments.
James Bull, Tesco’s head of packaging, said: “We believe no plastic packaging should end up as waste but soft plastic packaging plays an important role in prolonging the shelf-life of some products and preventing food waste. So, while we’re continually working to reduce our use of soft plastic, we can’t get rid of it altogether just yet. Soft plastic collections combined with promotional initiatives like Repeat The Cycle are essential to help prevent these materials from going to landfill.”
Top: Wrapping up recycling – JJ Chalmers is fronting Repeat The Cycle initiative
