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Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is throwing its weight behind this year's national Recycle Week campaign, which aims to help residents spot commonly missed recyclable items that are ending up in black bins across the district. The 'Rescue Me! Recycle' initiative, running from 22-28 September, focuses on everyday household items like shampoo bottles and tin foil that many people don't realise can be recycled.
Now in its twenty-second year, Recycle Week (organised by Recycle Now) is the biggest national annual celebration of recycling. The campaign continues to shine a spotlight on missed items that too often end up in the black bin but can, and should, be recycled. Following the success of last year's campaign, 'Rescue Me! Recycle' returns with two new characters joining the recycling mission – shampoo bottles and tin foil. These items join the list from last year's campaign which included trigger sprays, aerosols, yoghurt pots, aftershave, perfume bottles and toilet roll tubes.
The timing couldn't be better for the district, where research shows that despite nine out of ten people regularly recycling, nearly eight out of ten residents (79%) are still putting one or more items into the black bin that could have been recycled. It's a pattern that's being seen right across the UK, and one that this week-long social media campaign hopes to tackle head-on.
Council Chairperson Councillor Philip Campbell was keen to praise local efforts whilst acknowledging there's room for improvement. "I would like to extend a big thank you to all the residents of Newry, Mourne and Down for their hard work. Our district is making great strides in recycling, and our current recycling rate is 49%. This is a positive achievement, but we know we can do even better," he said.
"That's why I'm fully supporting the new 'Rescue Me! Recycle' campaign. This campaign highlights common packaging items that are often missed and put in the wrong bin. By rescuing these materials and ensuring they end up in the correct bin, we can make our recycling efforts even more impactful. Let's keep up the great work. Together, we can make our recycling better than ever and raise our recycling rate even higher!"
For residents who want to get their recycling sorted, the council's guidance is straightforward enough. Your Blue/Green Bin is for dry recycling materials including glass, bottles and jars, whilst your Brown Bin takes all food waste. The Black Bin should only be used for materials that genuinely cannot be recycled anywhere else, and crucially, recycling materials must not be placed in the black bin.
Catherine David, CEO of WRAP, the organisation behind Recycle Now, explained the thinking behind this year's campaign focus. "Recycle Week continues to be a powerful moment to inspire action across the UK, and this year's 'Rescue Me! Recycle' campaign is no exception. By highlighting everyday items like shampoo bottles and foil—things we often overlook—we're helping people see the real impact of small changes. Thanks to innovation and collaboration, more of these items can now be recycled than ever before. Together with local authorities and communities, we're making it easier to do the right thing and keep valuable materials in use. Let's rescue these items from the rubbish and give them a second life."
The campaign represents a genuine opportunity for the district to push its recycling rate beyond the 49% mark, with the focus on commonly missed items offering a practical way forward. Residents who need more guidance on what goes where can find detailed information at www.newrymournedown.org, whilst more details about the national Recycle Week campaign are available at www.recyclenow.org.uk.
