BRADFORD Council is appealing for people to become volunteer recycling champions and help other residents to recycle more and waste less during National Recycle Week 2018 which ends on Sunday.

Being a recycling champion is all about encouraging neighbours, friends, family and colleagues to reduce, reuse and recycle. It’s a great way to meet new people, make a positive difference in your community and even learn new skills.

Anyone who is over 18 and is interested about recycling and environmental issues can become a recycling champion – they don’t need any specialist knowledge, just be enthusiastic and willing to speak to others.

All the recycling champions have to do is attend a briefing meeting which will last approximately an hour, put large stickers on the side of their bins which will say ‘Ask me about recycling’, be prepared to answer any queries their neighbours may have or get in touch with the Council to find out more.

New research from Recycle Now shows while people in the UK say doing their bit for the environment is one of the primary motivations for recycling; over three quarters of UK households (76%) add one or more items to their recycling collection that is not accepted locally, which can be problematic in the recycling process. Meanwhile more than half (54%) put at least one item in the general rubbish that could be recycled.

Tackling the issues of contamination is a big issue for Bradford. Currently around 40% of the total contents collected from residents recycling bins is contaminated, cannot be recycled and has to be disposed of which costs the Council money.

Coun Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People and Places, said: “Whilst our recycling rates at the kerbside have continued to increase, many people are still putting the wrong things in the wrong bin, which leads to recycling loads being contaminated with materials which can’t be recycled.

Volunteering to become a recycling champion will help us get information out to local residents who want to know more about what they can and can’t put in their recycling bins. This will help reduce the amount of waste that is being put in the wrong bin and increase the amount of recycling.”

To register interest in becoming a recycling champion just email council.contact@bradford.gov.uk (stating Recycling Champions in the title) or call 01274 434284 and a member of the recycling team will contact you with more information.