Recycling Archives

04/09/201318/05/2023

Richmond Towers Jump(ed) on it.

Richmond Towers, the UK’s longest-established PR agency, this summer signed up to our Jump: Healthy Planet Healthy Team initiative. Helen Jones, an account executive working in the company’s sustainability team, is participating, cutting back on tube journeys by walking instead. She spoke to Julian Blake about the scheme – and Richmond Towers’ efforts to recycle and cut energy waste.

“We’re a PR agency specialising in food, drinks and sustainability in three dedicated teams. We’re in central London, based right in the heart of Soho. There are about 24 of us, so although we’re long established, we remain fairly small.

“Sustainability has always been important for Richmond Towers. On the sustainability team we work with a wide range of companies in the sector, from manufacturers of renewable technologies to LED lighting companies. All of our clients have an eco slant, so the green message is always in our minds when we’re talking to journalists or writing copy.

“From our point of view on the sustainability team, the Green Rewards scheme is something that’s quite close to our hearts. We know the importance of getting the green message out there, and also encouraging people to get involved, so it’s definitely something that we’re strongly behind.

“I’ve signed up for the walking module within the Jump scheme. It fits in with my lifestyle, as I quite often walk a couple of extra stops down the line and get on the tube there to get a bit of extra exercise. It also cuts my tube journey down, which is a bonus, because the tube’s not very pleasant – particularly during the summer!
“I live in Finchley Central, and I get the tube to Tottenham Court Road, which is about a 25-minute journey. I usually do my walking in the afternoons, so instead of getting on the tube at Tottenham Court Road, I walk to Warren Street, which is roughly a mile and takes about 20 minutes.

“I haven’t attempted to walk all the way – it’s about seven or eight miles so I don’t think I’m ready for that just yet!

“Jump (Green Rewards) is a really good idea because it incentivises you to get moving and go green at the same time. I was doing these walks to Warren Street anyway, but it’s encouraging me to do it more often now, because it’s at the back of my mind that it’s a part of this scheme. It gives you that extra boost to do it.

“I always feel better when I do a bit more walking. It clears my head. If I spend all day in the office it can get quite stuffy, which makes me tired. If I then just leave work and get straight on the tube it’s not great, so it always helps to have a bit of a walk first.

“I only signed up for the walking module recently, but I’m intending to build up the amount of time I walk per week, and keep getting better at it.

“I’ve looked at what Green Points get you and there seems a good range of things on offer. The points are a good idea, and I also like the fact that you can donate to charities as an alternative – I think that’s a nice touch.

“I’m all for eco products – it’s part of my job! I’m also very interested in recycling and living a greener lifestyle in general, so I think the scheme is great.

“We’re quite committed to recycling at Richmond Towers. We have several big paper recycling bins, which people are very good at using, and we also have recycling bins for plastic bottles and tins. We’ve talked about lighting as well, and the possibility of switching to LED bulbs to make our meeting rooms more eco-friendly.

“We also place great emphasis on cutting back on waste. The last person to leave the office has to switch off all the lights and air conditioning, and everybody shuts down their computers daily. In terms of food waste, we’ve just implemented a system where everybody has their own lunchbox to keep their food in, limiting the amount of food people bring in. Now everybody knows which is their individual food and buys the right amount based on what they need for the week. There’s a lot less waste as a result, although I do feel there’s just too much packaging around in general.”

20/06/201318/05/2023

Jump (Local Green Points) go live in Cheltenham

Jump (Local Green Points) has just launched its latest local authority recycling partnership, with the unveiling of the Gloucestershire Green Points – Cheltenham scheme.

The scheme, operating as a pilot, is designed to reward households for recycling food waste and reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill.

The scheme is run in partnership with Gloucestershire County Council and Cheltenham Borough Council. It places a particular emphasis on food waste recycling. The two authorities are recognised as experts in the field.

Among local experts are Rose Hill Farm at Dymock, which does ‘in-vessel’ composting for processing food waste on behalf of the county council. The process places food waste in large airy concrete tunnels then outside for around 15 weeks. The result is a stable, dried organic soil conditioner, ready to use.

Raw and cooked fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, dairy products, eggs bread, cakes and pastry can all go through this process.

The UK generates 290 million tonnes of waste per year, of which 22.9 million comes from homes. In 2012, for the first time, the UK recycled more household waste than was sent to landfill.

Members of the Gloucestershire Green Points – Cheltenham scheme can benefit from discounts and offers provided by local retail partners.

Green Points are awarded to households based on the total food waste saved in an area. The more food waste that households recycle, the more Green Points they and their neighbours will earn. These can be redeemed in the eShop, or be donated to a local Cheltenham school.

13/11/201218/05/2023

Jump (Green Points) help drive recycling growth.

Rebecca Goodwin, Waste Minimisation and Recycling Officer, London Borough of Bexley, explains how the Jump (Local Green Points) scheme is working in Bexley
The scheme was launched in Bexley last Autumn to 2,000 households in Thamesmead and has recently been expanded to a further 15,000 properties across the Borough, so how does it work and what makes it unique?
Jump (Local Green Points) works on the simple premise that avoiding waste disposal delivers cost savings to the council and this is what the scheme seeks to achieve by incentivising and rewarding residents for increasing the amount they recycle and reuse, as well as reduce .

“We want people to become fully engaged in the scheme” explains Graham Simmonds, partner at Jump (Local Green Points). “To do this, households need to activate their account and they’re incentivised through a broad range of exclusive offers and discounts provided by local, independent retailers that are only available to those that sign up. Activated households then receive a Green Points card and key fob and simply show this to the retailer when they make a purchase. This is proving very popular with both residents and retailers and this ‘local angle’ is helping to drive more business for independent high street traders”.

So far so good, but how are people motivated to recycle more? Stephen Bates, partner at Jump (Local Green Points) explains; “It starts with communication. Every household receives an information pack that includes a booklet explaining what can and can’t be recycled. Everyone gets this whether they activate their accounts or not and research has shown that people value this type of practical information. The motivation to recycle more is achieved through the rewards – Green Points – based on performance improvements. For each residual waste collection round, we establish a baseline which is simply the weight of residual waste collected over a set period prior to the scheme starting. Then, following the scheme’s launch, we measure the residual waste collected and compare this to the baseline. This approach means that we can provide a fully inclusive scheme for people living in flats as well as houses. Where a reduction has been recorded, a saving is achieved and it is from a proportion of this saving that the allocation of Green Points is made and distributed equally to activated households on that collection round. 400 Green Points equates to £1 and people can accrue these points to purchase from a range of over 1,000 eco-products or experiences from our on-line reward shop (or paper catalogue for offline accounts); or people can donate their points to one of three local charity projects, which we are finding is a popular option”.

One of the challenges facing incentive schemes is how their operation impacts on a council’s current waste service. Jump (Local Green Points) offers a distinct advantage in this respect. Graham Simmonds again; “It does not require the investment of capital equipment or any change to the way councils or their contractors manage waste collection and disposal. If anything, we’d rather changes are minimised so we can more accurately assess the impact of the scheme. All we need to know is how much residual waste has been collected on a given collection round, and if recycling generates additional income for the council, then data for this too as this can also be used to calculate the allocation of points for households”

My view is that the community approach is helping to drive behaviour change. The fact people can donate their points to local charity projects, combined with all the special offers from cafes and other local retailers, helps build a sense of community and encourages people to recycle and think more about what they are throwing out.

In Thamesmead, over 30% of residents have so far activated their Jump (Local Green Points) account and are benefiting from the offers and discounts provided by over 60 local retailers. They’re also earning Green Points, paid for by the London Borough of Bexley out of savings from reduced residual waste and increased recycling. The scheme has been part funded by LWaRB through their flats recycling initiative and is now being rolled out to cover all 17,000 purpose built flats across Bexley.

17/08/201218/05/2023

Residents upbeat about recycling rewards.

Residents of Bexley, south London, have responded positively to the recycling incentive scheme that’s running locally, according to canvassers who’ve talked to them on doorsteps.

The London Green Points – Bexley scheme is designed to reward households for doing more recycling and cutting waste that goes to landfill. Over 15,000 households living in the borough can earn discounts and offers from local retail partners, and receive Green Points if there is an increase in recycling to buy eco-friendly products or give to charity.

Chris Simpson, a law student living in Bexley, was one of the Jump (Green Rewards) team visiting local residents this summer, urging them to sign up.

“It went really well,” he recalls. “It was probably the easiest sales job I’ve ever done. That’s because there are no downsides to the scheme. People really take to the fact that they can use their cards to get discounts in their local area. Plus I think just having a Green Points card in their wallet makes people more aware of green issues.”

The job of the Jump (Green Rewards) team was to encourage local residents to sign up to the scheme and answer any questions that people had. Simpson was among the most successful of the team and over five weeks, he helped around 500 residents to join.

Simpson, a Bexley resident for four years, believes that residents are pleased to recycle. “The majority of people we spoke to recognise that they can do more. Some feel that they don’t have access to recycling bins close enough to where they live. People are happy to recycle, but until now they’ve lacked a real incentive. This scheme gives them that final extra kick on.”

Flats are being targeted over houses during this initial phase of the Bexley scheme. Estates have colour-coded recycling bins near entrances or in bin stores. Each flat has a reusable recycling bag that they can use to store recyclable waste at home, before residents take them to the recycle points and separate them into correct bins.

The Green Points that each household gets is based on the total recycling and total waste saved in Bexley as a whole, so the more that local people recycle, the more they and their neighbours earn.

There are over 1,500 landfill sites in the UK, and in 2001 these sites produced a quarter of the UK’s methane emissions.

Government policy has swung behind the ‘carrots not sticks’ approach to recycling that the Bexley scheme represents. A 2006 report for Defra concluded that six out of 10 incentive schemes increased the amount of recyclable material collected.

05/10/201118/05/2023

London Green Points is now officially live!

Pupils from St John Fisher Catholic Primary School in Thamesmead joined Local Green Points, local dignitaries and residents for the Big Recycle to mark the official launch of the London Jump (Green Points) scheme in Bexley on Monday.

The London Green Points scheme incentivises residents to reduce the amount of rubbish they send for disposal by reducing, reusing and recycling their waste. The residual waste and the amount of recycling are measured at a neighbourhood level, not by individual households, and all households with activated accounts share the Green Points equally. Green Points earned can be redeemed for a range of eco products and exciting days out or donated to selected local charity projects. Participates will also have access to range of offers and discounts provided by local retailers.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the London Borough of Bexley had received funding from the London Waste and Recycling Board’s Flats Recycling Programme and Recycle for London to support the scheme in partnership with Gallions Housing Association. The first phase will reach just over 2,000 flats in East Thamesmead with a potential expansion to 15,000 flats across Bexley planned for 2012.

Councillor Gareth Bacon, Bexley’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, is delighted that Bexley is the first council in the country to adopt the scheme: “We’re proud that Bexley is already London’s top borough for recycling with a recycling rate over 50%. However we recognise that we can still do more and see the London Green Points scheme as an excellent way to encourage even more people to recycle more waste, as well as helping to build community cohesion.”

Tony Cotter, Chief Executive at Gallions Housing Association is equally enthusiastic at the launch of the scheme in Thamesmead: “There is a great sense of community here and we recognised early on that the London Green Points scheme has a very strong community element, supporting local charities through the donation of Green Points. We also see the partnerships with local retailers as benefiting the local economy”.

Residents began to receive their welcome packs at the beginning of September and are starting to activate their accounts with over 10% of flats in East Thamesmead already signed up. The three selected local charities, The Youth Awareness Project, MyBnk and Trees for Cities, were also present at the launch along with many of the 30 local retail partners who are already signed up and supporting the scheme. Graham Simmonds, Partner at Jump (Green Rewards) LLP, the company behind the scheme, says that reaction from the community has been very positive: “I spent some time recently out and about in Thamesmead talking to residents about the scheme and their enthusiasm for it was really encouraging. Of course, the ultimate test will be the reduction in waste that’s sent for disposal and the increase in recycling, but the initial positive reaction from residents and the local community is a great start!”

09/04/201118/05/2023

London Jump (Green Points) launches in the capital

Local Green Points is today announcing the launch of London Green Points , its scheme to incentivise households in the capital to take practical steps to reduce waste and increase recycling as well as raising much-needed funding for community charity projects.

Local Green Points is an LLP company backed by Jump (Green Rewards), Envirocomms and RWA (Resources and Waste Advisory Group). It’s London Green Points scheme is being implemented initially in the London Borough of Bexley, starting with 2,000 homes in Thamesmead followed by a further 15,000 homes across the borough within two years. These first phases will focus on flats and the Borough has been awarded a grant of £108,750 from the London Waste and Recycling Board’s Flats Recycling Programme to part-fund the scheme. There are plans to extend the scheme to all 90,000 homes in Bexley in future years.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson says: ‘I know the good people of London’s suburbs are keen to be green and to recycle whatever they can and I’m also aware that it is not always easy to do that. Bexley’s London Green Points Scheme is great, offering residents the chance for community investment in return for recycling. I have always been a huge enthusiast for this kind of scheme which revolutionises the way people think about waste and recycling.’

Local Green Points’ co-founders are Stephen Bates, communications director at Envirocomms, and Graham Simmonds, managing director at Jump (Green Rewards) and chairman of the environmental charity, Trees for Cities. Bates is delighted to see the first scheme for Local Green Points, which is a national scheme, launched in Bexley and says, “At Local Green Points we are taking an innovative approach to waste and community support, so it’s highly appropriate that we are working with Bexley as they are a ’beacon council’ that put innovation at the heart of everything they do”.
The scheme works by rewarding performance at a community level, on a round-by-round basis, measuring improvements in recycling, waste reduction and re-use.

Households earn Green Points which are funded through the financial savings in waste management, particularly landfill costs, and these Green Points can either be spent on a variety of eco goods and services or residents can choose to donate their individual points to local community projects. In addition, all participating households have access to a wide range of discount offers from local retailers.

As Local Green Points co-founder Simmonds says, “We surveyed homes in the Bexley area and found that 42% of households plan to spend their Green Points on a mix of rewards for themselves combined with donating some to community projects, 34% plan to donate them all to community projects and only 24% plan to spend them entirely on themselves. As someone who has spent most of my working life in the charity sector, I am very excited to see that people want their recycling efforts to benefit the wider community, and I guess this is the Big Society in action!”

London Green Points will bring together a wide range of stakeholders, and a key partner will be Gallions Housing Association as Mandy Doe, Operations Director from Gallions explains; “By virtue of what we do, Gallions has exceptionally strong links with the local community and are always looking at ways in which we can add to the local, social capital. We knew from the moment we first met the Local Green Points team that this scheme could have a profound, positive effect in Thamesmead and are delighted that we will see it launched in this area and look forward to supporting the initiative”.

Cllr Gareth Bacon, Bexley’s Cabinet Member for the Environment said: “Thanks to the efforts of our residents, Bexley is already London’s top borough for recycling. We have achieved a 50% recycling rate in each of the last two years but we do not want to rest on our laurels. To continue to be the best we must consistently look to improve and come up with new ways to reach the challenging targets we have set ourselves.”

Local Green Points has confirmed that it is in advanced discussions with a number of other local authorities in London and across the UK and plans to announce news of further scheme rollouts later in the year.

Tag: Recycling

Richmond Towers Jump(ed) on it.

Jump (Local Green Points) go live in Cheltenham

Jump (Green Points) help drive recycling growth.

Residents upbeat about recycling rewards.

London Green Points is now officially live!

London Jump (Green Points) launches in the capital

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