Tom Giddings, executive director of Alupro, shines a spotlight on three councils that have recently implemented the MetalMatters campaign and reported an impressive uplift in both metal packaging volumes and material quality as a result.
Following the introduction of Simpler Recycling legislation, communication between local authorities and residents has become more important than ever before. While agreeing a standardised set of materials and uniform collections will ultimately make recycling more consistent, in the short-term changes to collections will likely result in consumer confusion.
At Alupro, we’ve been running consumer engagement campaigns to help local authorities drive widespread behavioural change for more than 30 years. Our MetalMatters initiative is just one example of a programme that delivers a powerful impact. By encouraging residents to think carefully about how to recycle their metal packaging and highlighting the positive impact of following best practice, the programme helps councils to achieve an uplift in the volume and quality of metal packaging collected at the kerbside.
Driving behavioural change
Over the past 12 months, three local authorities have worked in partnership with Alupro to roll-out MetalMatters – Leicestershire County Council, Somerset Council and Calderdale Council.
In Leicestershire, an entirely digital campaign targeted more than 310,000 households across six districts through both paid and organic social media activity. A suite of animated videos and static assets were posted through the council’s Facebook channel, with sufficient spend put behind the content to influence typically hard to reach audiences.
Collection data analysed six months after the launch of the campaign revealed a 9.8% increase in the capture of metal packaging at kerbside, set against an overall decrease (-2%) in kerbside collection volumes. What’s more, the value of the additional metal packaging collected as a result of the uplift provided a return on investment in less than two months.
In Somerset, rolling-out MetalMatters helped to drive a 4.3% uplift in metal packaging volumes captured at the kerbside. An integrated campaign approach, which comprised radio and bus advertising, as well as digital engagement tactics, saw more than 270,000 households across the region exposed to positive recycling messages.
The six-week campaign, which achieved a return on investment in less than six months, reinforced the important message that recycling metal is not only great for the environment, but also a key part of the circular economy.
Finally, in Calderdale, creative social media content was supported with bin stickers placed on general waste bins. With the aim of encouraging residents to consider best practice recycling for food and drink cans, aluminium wrapping foil, empty aerosols, metal screw tops and foil trays, the campaign saw more than 96,000 households targeted with positive messaging.
Already in 2026, we’ve collaborated with Essex Council to roll-out MetalMatters in front of 600,000 households, and we still have availability to undertake further campaigns.
To find out more about MetalMatters, or to enquire about rolling-out a programme across your region, visit www.alupro.org.uk.
