Working to improve plastics recycling
geTon, an environmental initiative launched last year, has made it its goal to provide more information about plastics recycling and to improve waste segregation. Its geTon on Tour campaign, which has taken it across the whole of Germany, has not only been a resounding success, it is also proving to be a great opportunity to get feedback from the public.
A mixture of information and entertainment
The first step to tackling climate change is for us to separate our waste correctly in our own homes. This is the central message of the geTon on Tour campaign and it has received a very positive response across the country. Standing in front of supermarket entrances from Kiel in the north to Munich in the south, the geTon on Tour team have already spoken to over 20,000 people. Working together with local waste management advisers and consumer advice centres, this team of experienced teaching specialists have been spending a whole day in front of a supermarket presenting their programme of information, games and entertainment to members of the public.
“The consumers weren’t only interested in taking part in the programme; they also gave us their thoughts on the subject of plastic and recycling. They have three main wishes: less plastic packaging for fruit and vegetables, more information about the packaging and clear, simple rules for sorting old packaging,” explained the coordinator of the initiative, Claudia Fasse.
To discover more about the ‘Gelbe Tonne’ initiative go to get-on.org
Several companies involved
REMONDIS, one of the companies involved in founding geTon, was particularly pleased to see just how great the interest has been in this campaign. “Separating waste correctly at source in people’s homes is one of the most important ways to help curb climate change. Every tonne of recycled plastic produced from old sales packaging reduces carbon emissions by up to 1.6 tonnes. Which means, of course, that this initiative reaches the right people – and gets everyone talking together,” commented REMONDIS managing director, Herwart Wilms.
A few images from the geTon on Tour campaign
The geTon initiative unites companies from all stages of the plastics life cycle: the packaging manufacturer Alpla, the brand firm Procter & Gamble, the retailing business Schwarz Group, the ‘dual systems’ der Grüne Punkt, Interseroh and PreZero and, last but not least, the recycling companies REMONDIS and ALBA. The goal of the geTon initiative is to minimise consumption of crude oil by avoiding the use of packaging in the first place and promoting the correct separation of waste (i.e. ensuring recyclable materials are put in the recycling bin) in order to help tackle climate change.
Image credits: © REMONDIS
