Kim Wilde launches nation’s favourite recycling scheme

Star rocks around the recycling bins to launch 2003 Christmas Card Recycling Scheme

The 2003 Christmas Card Recycling Scheme was launched today by pop star gardener Kim Wilde at City Hall – one of London’s greenest buildings. Kim, now well known for her gardening expertise and whose hits include ‘Kids in America’ is lending her support to this year’s Christmas Card Recycling Scheme and hopes to encourage the public to do the same.

The scheme, which starts today – twelfth night – and runs until 2 February, is run by the Woodland Trust in partnership with WHSmith and Tesco and supported by leading waste management company Cleanaway, is on its way to becoming a household favourite. The Woodland Trust is urging the public to take their Christmas cards to their nearest WHSmith high street store or Tesco store and leave them in the special recycling bins in-store.

TV gardener and Woodland Trust supporter, Kim Wilde, says: “Recycling Christmas cards is easy and it helps to protect the environment. By supporting the Christmas card recycling scheme you will be reducing waste and helping the Woodland Trust to restore and create much needed woodland throughout the UK.”

Last year the Christmas Card Recycling Scheme was responsible for 34 million cards being recycled – the equivalent to 671 tonnes. Proceeds from the scheme will help the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity, to create and care for new woodland across the UK.

Both the Woodland Trust and its partners are keen to recycle even more cards in 2003. So far the scheme has helped the Trust create and care for 22 new woods across the UK. With approximately one billion cards likely to have been sent over Christmas, there is plenty of scope to recycle greater numbers of cards and do more for the UK’s native woodland. Don’t forget – the UK is currently one of the least wooded countries in the EU – the Christmas Card Recycling Scheme is a great way to help the Woodland Trust to do something about this.

Mike Townsend, Woodland Trust chief executive explains: “Make recycling your cards your top New Year priority and support the UK’s native woodland. Many cards thrown away after Christmas will not be recycled but dumped in landfill sites. The Christmas Card Recycling Scheme is your chance to do your bit and help the UK’s environment – your environment.”

Nottinghamshire County Council, on behalf of the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers, administers the support from local authorities. Defra also backs the scheme.

Leaflets on the Christmas Card Recycling Scheme are now available in WHSmith or Tesco stores. For more information visit www.woodland-trust.org.uk/recycling

Notes to editors

City Hall – a ‘green building’ – The energy strategy for City Hall enables it to run on a quarter of the energy consumed by a typical high specification office building. This is achieved through not only the use of ecologically sound passive environmental control systems, but also through the shape and alignment of the building. For more information visit www.morelondon.com

The Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has over 250,000 members and supporters. The Trust has four key aims: a) No further loss of ancient woodland; b) Restoring and improving the biodiversity of woods; c) Increasing new native woodland; d) Increasing people’s awareness and enjoyment of woodland. Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,100 sites in its care covering approximately 19,000 hectares (47,000 acres). It offers free public access to nearly all of its sites. Further news can be accessed via this website.

WHSmith
WHSmith PLC is one of the leading retail groups in the UK, incorporating market leading companies in retail, consumer publishing and news distribution. Across its 553 UK High Street stores, WHSmith will be participating in the Christmas Card Recycling Scheme from 6 January 2003. Christmas cards collected at WHSmith will be reprocessed by SCA Recycling. Aside from its business activity, WHSmith recognises the importance of helping to tackle issues that are vital to local communities and the Christmas Card Recycling Scheme is an excellent example of this. For further details of WHSmith corporate social responsibility commitments please click here

Tesco
Tesco is the UK’s leading supermarket, with over 730 stores in the UK. All major Tesco stores will be participating in the recycling initiative from 6 January 2003. Recycling is a key part of Tesco’s wider corporate social responsibility commitment to contribute to local communities throughout the UK. Christmas cards collected at Tesco will be reprocessed by Severnside Recycling. To find out more click here to see how we are working to reduce our environmental impacts during 2000/2001, and how we are helping customers recycle more.

Cleanaway
Cleanaway is one of the UK’s leading recycling and waste management companies providing a comprehensive range of services to commerce, industry and local authorities. 2002 saw further expansion of recycling operations within the company, including the official opening of a 50,000 tonne purpose-built materials recycling facility.

Nottinghamshire County Council/NAWDO
Nottinghamshire County Council Waste Management Team is administering the scheme on behalf of the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers (NAWDO). The Waste Management Team at the County has been voted as one of the top 5% in the UK, with ‘excellent prospects for improvement in their Best Value Performance Review May 2002.’ The County Council has also planted over 1 million trees on former colliery sites as part of one of the biggest land reclamation projects in the United Kingdom.

For further information about the County Council visit http://www.nottscc.gov.uk

Defra
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs was formed in 2001 bringing many essentials of life under one umbrella – food, air, land, water and people. The department’s remit is the pursuit of sustainable development – weaving together economic, social and environmental concerns. Defra brings all aspects of environment, rural farming and food production policy together for the first time. It is a focal point for all rural policy, for people, the economy and the environment; and has roles in both EU and global policy making. http://www.defra.gov.uk