This text comprises paid for content material produced in collaboration with Past.ly
A focused recycling schooling marketing campaign spearheaded by Preston Metropolis Council and plastics recycling and useful resource effectivity charity RECOUP, with funding and help from environmental consultancy Beyondly, has reached over 265,000 residents, serving to to chop recycling contamination stories by 13% and cut back materials rejections on the sorting facility by 19%.
The marketing campaign, delivered below the RECOUP Pledge2Recycle Plastics programme, ran from September to December 2024 combining billboards, avenue hubs, college and group engagement, leaflet deliveries to all households within the Preston space, a radio marketing campaign, and a contemporary suite of social media belongings. It aimed to make clear what can and can’t be recycled, with a specific give attention to plastics, a key space of confusion for a lot of households.
Councillor Freddie Bailey, Cupboard Member for Atmosphere and Neighborhood Security commented: “The outcomes of this marketing campaign are good. Preston residents need to do the fitting factor in the case of recycling, and this marketing campaign helped make that simpler. By combining native satisfaction with sensible data, we empowered individuals to recycle extra and higher.”
Preston Metropolis Council noticed an 11 tonne improve in plastic, glass and cans collected in 2024/25 compared to 2023/24. Town additionally recorded fewer crew-reported contaminants similar to basic garbage and plastic luggage in recycling bins, an encouraging signal that constant messaging is paying off.
Key achievements embody:
• Whole attain of over 265,000, overlaying all households in Preston.
• 13% lower in contamination in plastic, glass, and might bins.
• 19% discount in materials rejections at sorting amenities.
• Leaflet and marketing campaign supplies designed with accessibility in thoughts, together with enter from native incapacity teams and multilingual residents.
• Engagement in precedence wards, together with Plungington, Deepdale and the Metropolis Centre, the place housing sorts and language boundaries current ongoing challenges.
The marketing campaign supply included participating instantly with communities by way of college visits, grocery store occasions, and a devoted recycling van on the metropolis’s Flag Market. Surveys performed throughout engagement revealed that whereas many residents need to recycle extra, they typically wrestle with understanding what’s accepted and how you can put together supplies correctly.
Katherine Fleet, Head of Sustainability and Circularity at RECOUP commented, “Schooling stays an important a part of the recycling puzzle. Through the use of visuals, clear messages, and trusted group channels, this marketing campaign helped to cut back confusion and improve confidence in recycling.”
Beyondly, who supported supply of the marketing campaign in addition to offering grant funding, additionally praised its affect and inclusive method.
“At Beyondly, we’re proud to help initiatives that empower communities to make lasting environmental change,” stated Charlotte Davies, Senior Guide Useful resource Effectivity and Circularity at Beyondly. “This marketing campaign in Preston is a implausible instance of how collaboration and clear communication can cut back contamination, improve recycling, and construct a extra sustainable future.”
Trying forward, Preston Metropolis Council plan to construct on these learnings, together with strengthening relationships with faculties, enhancing entry to recycling for households with out kerbside bins, and contemplating the wants of neurodiverse residents.
The Preston Metropolis Council Recycling Report 2025 offers a complete assessment of the marketing campaign’s outcomes, highlighting not simply statistics, but additionally the lived realities of Preston’s numerous communities.
To study extra or entry the total report, go to: www.recoup.org/sources/stories/ or be part of us at a webinar on 10 September 2025, register your curiosity right here.
