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Woodland Trust Circumnavigates The Globe
In Earth Month
2004 Christmas Card Recycling Scheme recycles 43.5 million cards
The Woodland Trust’s seventh annual Christmas Card Recycling Scheme has proved even more successful than last year’s scheme – an outstanding 43.5 million cards (the equivalent to 860 tonnes) have been recycled. What’s more, the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity has revealed that, over the last seven years of its Christmas Card Recycling Scheme, enough cards have been collected and recycled to reach around the globe!
Launched in January by model and TV star Nell McAndrew, the scheme, which ran in WHSmith High Street stores and Tesco stores across the UK throughout January, seems to have found favour again with the public, whose efforts resulted in an impressive seven per cent increase in the tonnage of cards collected, which will help support the Trust’s work creating and caring for the UK’s native woodland. In addition, this year’s scheme has helped save nearly 15,000 trees.
The results were announced by Environment Minister Elliot Morley at a special event at Defra head offices in Westminster on Monday, 26th April.
“Last year’s campaign helped to spare 13,600 trees, so I’m absolutely delighted that this year’s scheme has been even more successful,” said Mr Morley. “Furthermore, as April is International Earth Month, I’m thrilled that we have been able to mark the occasion by illustrating what a fantastic job the UK public have done in recycling their Christmas cards to help reduce the amount of rubbish thrown away and save so much of the UK’s woodland.”
Hilary Allison, Woodland Trust Policy Director commented: “The Christmas Card Recycling Scheme is a very simple way of engaging everyone with environmental action; at a time when the UK Sustainable Development Strategy is being reviewed, this scheme is an excellent example of reduction in waste, energy consumption and environmental improvement action at the individual, corporate and government levels. We rely totally on the support of the UK public to make this scheme a success, so it is fantastic to be able to report yet another increase in tonnage. Since the scheme was launched nearly a quarter of a billion cards have been recycled!”
Looking ahead to 2005, next year’s campaign has already received the backing of current partners WHSmith and Tesco, while WRAP, the Waste & Resources Action Programme, has also pledged to lend its support.
The 2004 scheme was run by the Trust with its partners WHSmith and Tesco, with support from Rethink Rubbish. Nottinghamshire County Council, on behalf of the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers, administers the support from local authorities, and SCA Recycling and Severnside Recycling collect and recycle the cards. The scheme is also backed by Defra, the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly, Waste Awareness Wales, and the Northern Ireland Environment & Heritage Service. For more information visit www.woodland-trust.org.uk/recycling.
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You can do more than you think to help and it will make a huge difference - around 60% of your rubbish can be recycled
Alistair McGowan
Patron, Rethink Rubbish campaign
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