Greenredeem has launched a pilot scheme which aims to increase greater plastic circularity through recycling plastic bottles in schools.

Greenredeem’s pilot scheme to encourage increased recycling rates has collected over 60,000 plastic bottles in its first 16 weeks since launching in January 2019. 

The scheme involves the installation of recycling kiosks in 16 schools from the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead (RBWM) where the schools are awarded a 5p donation per bottle collected, thus providing an incentive to recycle and help fund education. 

The recycling rate of plastic bottles has stagnated and remained at 57% for the past five years – Greenredeem’s mission is to increase that amount to have a positive impact on the some 13 billion single-use plastic bottles which are used every year in the UK. Given the success of the pilot scheme so far, which is supported by Plastic Oceans UK, RBWM & Grundon, it is going to be rolled-out to a further 9 schools in the area with the outcomes of the scheme published and presented to DEFRA later this year.

The schools participating in the scheme are also benefiting from educational resources by Plastic Oceans Foundation UK, which includes an e-learning portal to support classroom delivery in education around plastic waste management solutions. The plastic bottles that are collected in the recycling kiosks in each of the schools are then collected by Grundon Waste Management and processed at their MRF facility in Colnbrook, where it is then turned into RPET at Cleantech in Lincolnshire, meaning that the recycled material will be available to utilise commercially for the manufacture of plastic drinks containers. 

For more information on Greenredeem’s pilot scheme please click here. 

Greenredeem was launched in 2009 and aims to create behaviour change and reward people for their green actions to inspire a better future by working with local authorities, water companies and commercial partners. 

To find out more information on Greenredeem please click here.