Behavior-changing Movement Aims to Improve the U.K.’s Recycling Process

Ignite, a new behavior-changing movement, aims to combat some of the world's biggest challenges through social communities, collective voices and technical solutions. Ignite's first challenge is to improve the U.K.'s recycling process.

At the heart of the issue is that only 14 percent of all plastics ever get reused, leading to the prediction that by 2050, there could be more plastic in the oceans than fish. Current curbside recycling processes are not working and have lulled people into a false sense of security, according to a press release by 3 SIDED CUBE, a tech for good agency.

3 SIDED CUBE believes the solution lies in the creation of a circular plastic economy.

The agency, which has been using technology to solve global challenges for more than 10 years, is the propelling force behind Ignite, which aims to drive retailers and brands to take notice of the challenge and the consumer groundswell of opinion on the issue.

Launched in September, Ignite has more than 50,000 people backing the movement, with thousands joining every day by following the Ignite Facebook and Instagram social media channels. A roadmap of technical tools for the solution-focused consumer will follow, starting with an app to change the way recycling is managed in households.

Today's consumers need to be equipped with more knowledge on recycling to really make a difference, according to 3 SIDED CUBE, which believes that empowering shoppers with the ability to scan receipts and access information on how to recycle used packaging could transform the way people shop and the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills and oceans.

The solution revolves around making effective recycling a win-win-win for consumers, retailers and brands.

The key to consumers effectively recycling is educating them how to do it, and then acknowledging when they do, by showing their environmental impact and rewarding shifts toward more sustainable behaviour, stated 3 SIDED CUBE.

Retailers benefit by fulfilling consumer demand and increasing their customer touch points by engaging with them throughout the purchase and recycle lifecycle.

Manufacturers benefit through the reduced cost of packaging and the ability to show consumers and retailers that they are taking responsibility for the packaging they produce.

The app in development will connect brands to the consumer, enabling retailers to collect used packaging when making home deliveries and in-store. Retailers will then be able to return this back to manufacturers who can actually reuse it—encouraging a cycle of plastic reuse and creating tangible accountability.

''The way we currently recycle is a waste of time—the system is broken. The amount of waste we see in landfills and our oceans proves that," said Richard Strachan, managing director of 3 SIDED CUBE, in a statement.

''It's vital for us all to take responsibility for the environmental impact our packaging causes. We have to act now. We need to take action if we are ever going to get packaging back to the manufacturers for reuse," he added. "It needs everyone in the supply chain to work together to make that happen. The process needs to make sure everyone benefits—commercially, practically and environmentally. Ignite aims to show retailers and brands that their consumers want this. The question is, will they pick up the baton?''