Environmental charity Hubbub and McDonald’s are launching a new ‘InTheLoop‘ grant fund to help local authorities and other interested organisations boost out-of-home recycling in public spaces.
The fund will support two new projects to introduce or improve their recycling infrastructure using the InTheLoop toolkit.
The new funding has been provided by McDonald’s and will grant the two successful applicants £8,000 each to invest in, and boost, anti-litter and recycling facilities. As well as the funding, Hubbub will provide ongoing support based on the charity’s expertise and experience in delivering recycling campaigns. This includes support with project management and design to help bring their projects to reality and to support their delivery.
Organisations such as local authorities, business improvement districts, shopping centres, major property owners and transport hubs are invited to apply. The application deadline is 17 March 2023.
First trialled in Leeds in 2018, with support from McDonald’s and other businesses, #InTheLoop is one of the UK’s biggest collaborative approaches to boost recycling on-the-go. Subsequently, Swansea, Edinburgh, Dublin, Wimbledon, Telford & Wrekin and Lambeth have all run similar pilots, installing and testing a range of bright, colourful and eye-catching bins to make it as easy as possible for people to recycle empty glass, plastic bottles, cans, and in some cases coffee cups, and therefore improve recycling rates.
Gavin Ellis, co-founder of Hubbub, said, “Recycling on the go continues to be a significant challenge, with less than half of local authorities currently having on-street recycling systems. Previous trials have helped us define an effective approach to out of home recycling, so we’re delighted that additional funding from McDonald’s will enable two more organisations to trial InTheLoop interventions in their area to help address littering, boost recycling rates and reduce waste sent to landfill or incineration.”
Helen McFarlane, McDonald’s Senior Sustainability Consultant said, “We’re delighted to be funding this piece of work. McDonald’s has been working with Hubbub on their innovative InTheLoop campaigns for over five years now, and we’re excited that this project builds on all the success we’ve had over the years. We hope that by providing funding to roll out InTheLoop we can have a lasting impact in the communities we serve.”
