Otter-ly wonderful news for Bristol’s recycling on the go
Otter-ly great start for on-the-go recycling campaign
This week we were excited to launch the brand new #InTheLoop Bristol campaign with a harbourside event celebrating Bristol’s beautiful waterways and the wildlife (such as otters) that calls them home.
As the number one core city for recycling in England, Bristol has already proven their otter-ly great at recycling at home. Now, with brand new #InTheLoop bins, featuring the otters who have made Bristol Harbour their home, our city can be otter-ly great at recycling on-the-go too.
#InTheLoop makes it easy for residents and visitors to recycle empty glass, plastic bottles and cans, improving recycling rates and protecting local wildlife. Keep an eye out for the bright, eye-catching bins that have emerged around the harbour.
The campaign is a partnership between Bristol Waste and environmental charity Hubbub, supported by Bristol City Council and made possible with funding from The Coca-Cola Foundation In The Loop Fund.
Sustainable Hive’s Sea-Cycler was one of a flotilla of litter-picking vessels that joined us for the launch event
Otter-ly brilliant launch event
To celebrate the launch of central Bristol’s first ever permanent on-the-go recycling bins we were joined by some brilliant organisations. Thanks to Sea Cadets: For TS Adventure and Sustainable Hive who helped us create our amazing litter-picking flotilla for the day of the launch.
Thank you again to environmental charity Hubbub and Coca-Cola’s InTheLoop Grand Fund for making this possible, and to Bristol Avon Rivers Trust, the Harbourmaster and the Bristol City Council and Bristol Waste teams who supported the launch.
Bristol’s first ever permanent on-the-go recycling bins
Did you know… it is estimated that 9 in 10 of us recycle at home compared to just 4 in 10 who recycle on-the-go? [1].
And, in 2019, an estimated eight billion drinks containers failed to get recycled in the UK [2]. That means they were either landfilled, incinerated or littered. At the same time, less than half of local authorities currently have on-street recycling systems [3].
This new initiative in central Bristol is part of #InTheLoop, the UK’s biggest collaborative approach to boost recycling on-the-go, which was first trialled in Leeds in 2018. Across the previous pilot projects, over 2.5 million plastic and glass bottles and cans were collected and recycled.
Our recent campaign Bristol’s Binning, proved that the people of Bristol are ready for permanent recycling in our city centre. As England’s number one core city for recycling, we have made recycling more accessible while you’re out and about with installation of the first ever permanent on-the-go recycling bins in our city centre
Keeping our streets and water ways tidy
Bristol won funding for this project to help keep our waterways free of litter. The permanent on-the-go recycling bins will reduce litter in the city. Not only will this keep our streets neat, but will also reduce the litter ending up in our waterways, where it pollutes the environment and harms wildlife
Collecting valuable resources and keeping them #InTheLoop by recycling them, saving them from going to waste
By putting your plastic and glass bottles and empty drinks cans in the brand new recycling bins, we can keep those materials #InTheLoop. Every item you pop your on-the-go recycling in our new bins that item will be made into something new. Not only keeping litter out of Bristol’s beautiful waterways, but also lessening the need for virgin materials, saving energy and the planet.
Changing habits
The new bins allow residents and visitors to get into the habit of recycling and even encourage switching to reusables. With clear communication and well-designed infrastructure, recycling and conscious binning will be part of Bristol’s everyday life.
Kye Dudd, Cabinet Member for Climate, Ecology, Waste and Energy officially launched the campaign
“As the number one core city for recycling, Bristol is primed and ready to take the challenge of recycling out of their homes and on to the streets. Bringing on-the-go recycling to central Bristol has been an ambition of the council for a while and we are delighted to see these new bins arrive today. It is now up to the residents and visitors to prove they are otter-ly great at recycling by using the colourful bins!”
Sarah Burns, Innovation and Sustainability Manager was one of the major brains behind the new campaign
“Keeping the city clean, and encouraging better recycling is at the heart of what we do at Bristol Waste. This funding has allowed us to bring on-the-go recycling right into the beating heart of Bristol. The harbourside is home to so many wonderful attractions, businesses and homes – and even otters! It’s no wonder it is so popular, but with people on the streets comes litter. These bins will change the way we manage our waste when we are out of the home, helping more items to be recycled, and keeping valuable materials In The Loop.”
Beau Zilesnick, Project Lead at Hubbub, said:
“We’re really excited to bring #InTheLoop to Bristol. Through our eye-catching bins, we want to give residents, workers and visitors a better and easier opportunity to recycle while out and about. We’re urging everyone to use the new bins and help us ensure that as much valuable packaging is recycled as possible.”
