Sutton volunteer stars in recycling campaign

The face of a Sutton volunteer will be on posters, trams, phone boxes and refuse vehicles as part of a campaign to encourage more people to recycle.

The ‘Ker-ching! – that’s the sound of you saving your community money by recycling’ campaign will run over June and July. It is being led by the South London Waste Partnership which is a joint initiative between four boroughs – Sutton, Merton, Kingston and Croydon, who are working together to provide improved and more cost-effective waste management services to their residents.

Last year £5m was saved in landfill tax thanks to the 69,621 tonnes of waste recycled by the public in the four boroughs including 6,411 tonnes of mixed plastics. The councils want to increase the amount of recycling and save the community even more money in the process. With council budgets being squeezed, these savings can help support essential services in the four boroughs.

In Sutton, the advertising campaign is being fronted by local volunteer Eve McElhinney. Eve was an Olympic Games-maker and has subsequently become one of Sutton’s Community-makers.

Eve McElhinney said:

“I am passionate about recycling and was very happy to be part of this campaign. It is something I believe in and I think that recycling on an individual basis does make a difference.

“We can all make a difference. When I see how much I recycle every week, I am amazed and I think if one person can make such a difference, then how much of a difference we all could make together.”

“Sutton is a lovely area, full of green spaces and great for shopping and social events. I want it to be a clean place, safe for children to play in without having to worry about dog poo not being picked up or lighted cigarette butts being discarded thoughtlessly.”

Colin Hall, Chairman of the South London Waste Partnership Joint Committee, said:

“We saved our communities £5m last year through recycling. With landfill tax continuing to rise, the money saved by recycling will be even greater.

“Whether it’s plastic, bottles, paper or glass, recycling will help to save your community money that can be spent on other services.”

Last year, Sutton recycled and composted 37 per cent of all domestic waste collected.

Click here to see Eve’s advertisement.