Cheltenham joins In The Loop with new colourful bins to boost recycling on-the-go

Cheltenham #InTheLoop is an initiative which will make it as easy as possible for residents and visitors to recycle empty plastic bottles and cans and therefore improve recycling rates. Existing general waste litter bins are also be replaced to new round 90 litre or 120 litre specification.

In Cheltenham, the recycling bins and general waste bins will be positioned strategically across the town centre and gardens to encourage residents and visitors to recycle plastic and cans on-the-go. The new recycling bins will collect empty plastic bottles, as well as cans so these valuable materials can be made into something new instead of going to waste. Additional litter bins have been installed to improve the capacity and cope with the additional visitors to the town, including nighttime economy.

The first phase has already taken place across The Strand, Cambray Place, and the High Street area down to Boots corner and the next phases will be rolled out as soon as possible starting with the Promenade, Imperial Gardens and Montpellier then moving down the Lower High Street. 

Any old bins are to be washed down and reused across the rest of the borough if possible otherwise, they will be sold for scrap and recycled.

Following this, the initiative will move to other parks and gardens along with the rest of the litter bin provision across the borough. This will be a permanent initiative rolled out over the entire summer.

Councillor Paul Baker, cabinet member for waste, recycling, and green open spaces, said: “It is great to be part of this initiative to explore how we can better support our residents and visitors to recycle.

“Whilst our ultimate aim is to reduce waste in the first place, recycling what we do need to use out and about is essential. These bins, we hope will significantly improve our recycling rates and reduce litter in the town centre.”

Fran Inman, Chief Executive of the Business Improvement District (BID) said: "I am thrilled to share the incredible benefits our new recycling bins will bring to our community. This vibrant and eye-catching initiative is making recycling more accessible than ever for both residents and visitors.

“This initiative will not only boost recycling rates, but also ensures that valuable materials can be repurposed instead of wasted. This initiative is a testament to our commitment to sustainability and improving the quality of life for everyone in Cheltenham.”

Litter Lotto

Litter Lotto are offering a monthly jackpot prize in our ‘Bin it to Win it” Campaign. Visitors to the town centre simply need to take a picture on the Litter Lotto app putting their recycling or general litter waste into one of the town centre bins to be entered for the chance to win!

All residents need to do is download the free app and register for an account. They can then click on the’ AtHome’ feature and use their camera to scan the item that they want to dispose of. Thanks to new AI technology, the app will tell them which recycling bag or box to use, or whether it needs to go in the bin instead.

Every item correctly recycled or binned counts as an entry to an exclusive monthly prize draw, with a £100 cash prize for one lucky resident - and there is also a weekly national £1k jackpot.

Notes for editors

About the initiative

On-the-go waste continues to be a significant problem for authorities across the country. It is estimated that 9 in 10 of us recycle at home compared to 4 in 10 who recycle on-the-go. In 2019 an estimated eight billion drinks containers failed to get recycled in the UK. That means they were either landfilled, incinerated, or littered. At the same time, less than half of local authorities currently have on-street recycling systems.

This new initiative in Cheltenham is part of #InTheLoop, the UK’s biggest collaborative approach to boost recycling on-the-go, which was first trialled in Leeds in 2018, followed by similar trials in Swansea, Edinburgh, Dublin, Wimbledon, Telford and Lambeth. Across the previous pilot projects, over 2.5 million plastic and glass bottles and cans were collected and recycled.

For more information visit the bins and recycling information page.