Residents across Leicestershire are being encouraged to ‘foil in love’ with recycling through an awareness campaign aimed at boosting kerbside collections of aluminium foil. 

Despite being easily recyclable, items like wrapping foil, trays, aerosols, beverage cans and food tins are often misplaced in general waste.

Leicestershire County Council is the latest local authority to roll-out the initiative, which is run by Alupro and funded by the metal packaging industry, which has already reached more than 400,000 households across the UK.

The programme provides local authorities with everything needed to educate residents and drive positive behavioural change. In the case of Leicestershire County Council, this includes social media collateral, alongside a supporting four-week radio advertising campaign.

Councillor Adam Tilbury, the Cabinet Member for Waste at Leicestershire County Council, commented.  “We know it’s important that people know what they can and can’t recycle so items don’t unnecessarily end up in general waste bins.

“This campaign has seen great results elsewhere across the country, and we hope it sees an increase in recycled metal materials across Leicestershire.”

Tom Giddings, executive director of Alupro, added: “Our experience tells us that the most effective way of bringing about positive change isn’t by telling people what to do. Instead, we help households to understand the benefits of recycling – empowering them to take ownership of their waste.

“Our ‘Foil in Love with Recycling’ campaign encourages residents to think differently and explains how easy it is to recycle aluminium packaging – simply rinse off any chunky bits of food and place in the correct bin ready for collection at the kerbside.”

‘Foil in Love with Recycling’ will run across Leicestershire for four weeks. The initiative builds upon the success of implementing Alupro’s ‘MetalMatters’ campaign in 2025, which saw kerbside metal packaging collection volumes soar. Sampling data taken before and after the programme showed that metal yields increased by nearly 10%, despite a reported 2% decline in overall recycling volumes in the same period.

To learn more about Alupro, or its educational initiatives, visit www.alupro.org.uk.