This month our Philanthropist Housewife columnist Karen Cannard, has been busy preparing for an exciting and most unusual campaign to support this year’s Recycle Week, which starts next Monday. at home couldn't wait to find out more and caught up with Karen to hear all about Recycling on the Go...

Hi Karen! What is the Recycle On The Go challenge about? What does it involve and why is it important?
The challenge is to collect 1000 photos of on-street recycling bins, the sort that are now popping up in high streets and tourist hotspots across the UK, which help shoppers and visitor recycle empty bottles, cans or papers whilst they’re out and about.

What inspired you to launch the challenge?
As a blogger who writes about reducing waste, I have always taken an interest in innovative ideas that can help make it easier to recycle and reduce the burden on landfill. In the last few years I have noticed that an increasing number of councils are starting to introduce on-street recycling bins.

I started to take the odd photo of interestingly designed bins or those that were located in unusual area, which I then published on my blog, including one that I had spotted during a recent visit to my childhood haunt Barry Island, which is more famous for being the spiritual home of Gavin & Stacey, than it is for having all mod-cons recycling bins.  

At the time, I had never expected that such antics would be noticed, let alone mentioned in the national press.  However, just weeks later, it was picked up by The Observer’s Lucy Siegle, who wrote in her piece about zero waste that “Karen of Bury St Edmunds embarrasses her kids by taking photos of municipal trash cans.”

I have to admit, that I do... and indeed the children were. At the time, they had both cried out in unison “we knew you’d do that,” as I stood taking the photo. So when I read Lucy’s comment I just laughed at the comedic image of “this eccentric woman” who went about her business taking such bizarre holiday snaps.

And that was the lightbulb moment.

I had already been planning how I would support this year’s national Recycle Week campaign, which is organised by Wrap, but I hadn’t reached any particular conclusion on what I would do.

However it took just minutes to decide that this year I would help to promote the theme of Recycling on the Go, and support Recycle Week’s mission to highlight the cumulative effects of recycling just a little bit more.  It didn’t take long to harness the support of fellow blogger and “bin spotter” Rachelle Strauss at My Zero Waste to collaborate with me.  So the challenge was born.

We all know that we need to recycle but why is it so important?
When we throw recyclable packaging into a rubbish bin, whether it goes to landfill or incineration it’s as good as a poor man throwing money down the drain. It also reveals a lack of respect for a valuable resource that needs to be preserved and returned back into the materials economy, especially in a world that needs to both conserve energy and water. For example it is more energy efficient to recycle plastic bottles and aluminium cans into new products than it is to make those items from raw materials. Recycling aluminium for instance uses just 5% of the energy that’s needed to make it from the raw material Bauxite. Cans that are thrown into recycling bins can be recycled, remade, refilled and put back on the shelves within six weeks of entering the waste stream*

We pay for that packaging, not just the contents, so recycling it when the contents are finished is just like making a deposit in a bank, putting to good use the “small change” that’s left. Economically it is more beneficial as the materials stay in the loop, while councils and taxpayers save money on landfill tax. In the future, we are even likely to see more automated recycling banks that actually pay consumers to deposit things like empty bottles.

How can at home readers take part?
We’re asking readers to join our eccentric mascot Shedwyn (pictured above) in her mission to collect 1000 photos and videos of on-street recycling bins across the UK and further afield. Just snap them and post them onto our Facebook page. It doesn’t matter if they seem ordinary to you. The more the merrier and it will help to paint a picture of where the best facilities are in the UK and across the world

We’re also asking for creative types to put themselves in the frame, with entertaining pictures or videos. Sing a song or tell some jokes if you like. The funnier the better! Just keep 'em clean. Artists can even submit a picture or a sketch. We’re also hoping to include guest appearances from stand up comedians as they get in shape for their Fringe performances this summer.

All submissions will be entered into a competition that ends on the last of National Zero Waste Week (5-11 September 2011), further details of which will be published at the end of July at www.myzerowaste.com.

Photos and videos can be uploaded directly onto at www.facebook.com\1000bins or emailed to standup@therubbishdiet.co.uk. You can also follow our mascot Shedwyn on Twitter at TheRealShedwyn to see what she gets up to next.

Our challenge is an independent social-media campaign that supports the Recycle Week wider campaign. More information about Recycle Week is available at www.recyclenow.com and features other ways in which readers can also get involved directly. Recycle Week takes place 20-26 June.

Useful websites
www.facebook.com\1000bins
www.recyclenow.com
www.therubbishdiet.co.uk
www.myzerowaste.com

More from The Philanthropic Housewife
The Philanthropic Housewife: An Introduction
The Philanthropic Housewife: Rolling Up my Sleeves for 2011
The Philanthropic Housewife: Be Part of BBC Local Radio
The Philanthropic Housewife: More Music, More Variety
The Philanthropic Housewife: Volunteering Your Words
The Philanthropic Housewife: Just Blog It!

About the author
Describing herself as a philanthropic housewife, Karen balances the challenges of modern parenthood with support for community projects and freelance writing, with an emphasis on mainstream, yet sustainable lifestyle issues. She's also the creator of The Rubbish Diet blog and a frequent contributor to BBC local radio. To find out more about Karen, just visit www.karencannard.co.uk.