Huge QR code outside train station aims to encourage recycling
A huge QR code filled with materials which people often forget to put in the recycling bin has been installed outside Birmingham New Street station.
It has been put there by Recycle Now to kick off Recycle Week, which runs until Sunday.
People can scan the QR code to find out what items they can and can’t recycle in their local area.
The QR code comes after recent insights by Recycle Now found that four-fifths of UK households are missing out on recycling everyday items from all over the house.
Top frequently missed items including glass perfume and aftershave bottles, aerosols and plastic food trays will be used to fill the 3.6m installation, to encourage more people to recycle these items at home.
This year’s Recycle Week, themed 'Let's Get Real', will target contamination to improve recycling behaviours, whilst busting myths around recycling.
The giant QR code installation is located on the concourse outside the train station, and will stay there all this week.
Pointing your phone at the code will take you to Recycle Now’s handy recycling locator – where you can find out what items can and can’t be recycled within your local area.
The QR code was unveiled on Monday morning by former Olympic Swimmer and keen environmentalist, Mark Foster, who is acting as an ambassador for this year’s Recycle Week campaign.
Mr Foster said: “I am delighted to be working with the Recycle Now team on what has become a really important week of action across the UK.
"Now is the perfect time to get real about recycling. It’s the first step towards real change and every single one of us can make a real difference if we try."
Helen Bird, recycling expert at Recycle Now, added: “Our latest research has found that a large proportion of UK households are unknowingly contaminating their recycle bins, which is why, for this year’s Recycle Week, we want to encourage everyone to ‘get real’ about recycling."
Other initiatives taking place during Recycle Week 2022, led by Recycle Now, include landmark buildings going green across the UK, a campaign film featuring the real faces of recycling, and the release of new data about the nation’s recycling habits.
