Fun theory boosts on the go recycling at Leeds Beckett

Increasing Opportunities for Recycling on the go!

Recycling on the go in Leeds has almost doubled since the launch of the Leeds By Example project (#LeedsByExample). Utilising “Fun Theory”, the project created eye-catching brightly coloured recycling points with a playful Yorkshire phrases and even bubble-blowing bins that made the recycling points hard to miss. As part of the initiative, Beckett Food has housed 4 of the 124 recycling points spread across the city centre.

The initiative was launched in Leeds city centre to address the UK’s low on the go recycle rates, with many people opting to put their recyclable waste into landfill bins instead of seeking out recycling points.

On City Campus you’ll find the 4 recycling points currently at Leeds Beckett University; 2 coffee cup shaped bins and 2 recycle reward machines. The recycle reward machines, located in Beckett Kitchen, offer the user an opportunity to cash in their used coffee cup for a 20p discount voucher to use against any purchase in our outlets. In a recent campus survey 86% of students and staff had noticed one of the recycle reward machines on campus, with nearly 50% of those people using it once or more.

After a 6 month trial, the proportion of people recycling cans, plastic bottles and coffee cups across Leeds has almost doubled from 17% to 32%. With 600,000 coffee cups, 65,000 cans and 55,000 bottles recycled, we’re delighted our recycling points have contributed to this figure!

95% of staff and students surveyed thought that the recycle reward machines were a good idea, so if you’ve enjoyed using the recycle reward machine or haven’t had the opportunity yet, the good news is they’re staying here a little while longer! With the campaign being extended, many more recycling points are being added across the city centre, so if you’re taking your cup off campus don’t forget to look out for the bright yellow bins to recycle your cups, cans and bottles in!