Glass Recycling
Service
Behaviour change campaign
Community engagement
Events
Timescale
Six month project
Funders & Collaborators
Friends of Glass
Ardagh Group
Allied Glass
URM
Leeds City Council
BARCA
Fall Into Place
Tribe Youth Group
We Belong Here CIC
Seagulls Reuse
The challenge
In the summer of 2020, soon after the first COVID lockdown restrictions began to be lifted, we noticed that there had been a significant increase in glass recycling by people in the city during the early months of the pandemic. Our challenge was to try to maintain the high rates of glass recycling in Leeds as life started to get back to normal.
Our solution
With financial support from key glass industry stakeholders, we designed and delivered a behaviour change campaign that encouraged more Leeds residents to recycle glass at glass banks across the city. We also worked with 3 local communities and artists on community engagement activities which included involving local children in redesigning banks which were launched at fun events over the Summer.
Our campaign took a place-based approach telling the circular economy story of how glass recycled in Leeds is made into new bottles and jars in Yorkshire. We also designed a new glass bank map making it easier for people to find their local glass bank and to see the impact of their actions on the environment.
Our impact
We were delighted to see that glass recycling rates at the three community-led improved bank sites had improved by 43%! For the full impact of our glass recycling work see our our impact report below. The report details six recommendations for anyone embarking on future glass recycling campaigns. We have spoken about this campaign at UK & international glass industry events.
