Drinks can recycling programme Every Can Counts has been launched to shoppers and retailers across Willow Place and Corby Town Centre. Every Can Counts is working with owner Land Securities, the UK's largest commercial property company, to improve drinks can recycling in the centre's 174 retail units and provide on street drinks can recycling facilities for shoppers. Willow Place is the UK's first shopping centre to implement the 'on the go' drinks can recycling programme.
Willow Place and Corby Town Centre is a 28 acre mixed-use site, owned and managed by Land Securities, incorporating 174 retail units. Land Securities is currently responsible for the environmental management for the entire site and waste collection for 112 retailers.
Every Can Counts has being introduced as part of a focussed green strategy which is being implemented by Land Securities to demonstrate an environmental commitment, which includes diverting as much waste from landfill as possible. Each of the 174 units within the shopping centre has been provided with Every Can Counts recycling boxes and promotional materials for both staff and shoppers, whilst four branded can crushers have been placed in high footfall areas of the town centre. Cans are being collected and processed by local community recycling enterprise, Cobwebs.
Nyasha Pitt, Marketing Manager for Willow Place & Corby Town Centre says: "We're really excited to be launching the first ever Every Can Counts programme in a shopping centre here in Corby. We truly believe in environmental sustainability here, so the ability to engage our shoppers and allow them to recycle their own cans, in one easy push, is just fabulous. It is another first for Corby, as we were the first site in the Land Securities group to achieve zero waste to landfill. We hope other sites will follow our lead and introduce Every Can Counts for their tenants and visitors."
Rick Hindley of Every Can Counts says: "Of the eight billion drink cans sold in the UK each year around 30% are consumed 'on the go'. Through the partnership with Land Securities we will be engaging with two significant groups of 'on the go' consumers - those who work in the town centre and shoppers - so it offers us great opportunity to comprehensively promote Every Can Counts to a wide audience. We have high hopes for this partnership, and hope to use our experience in Corby to develop projects with other retail sites, including others managed by Land Securities, in the future."
Although Corby is the first retail site to introduce Every Can Counts the programme is being actively promoted to 'on the go' consumers, including at the recent Isle of Wight Festival and to beach goers on the south coast. More information on these activities can be found on www.everycancounts.co.uk/events.