“I’m not trash” Campaign

The European Recycling Platform (ERP), is delighted to announce the multi-country awareness movement that aims to awaken people and companies to the need for recycling waste, saving resources, and protecting the Planet.

“I’m not trash” campaign is a multi-channel initiative and will take place in different ERP countries (Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and the UK), sharing the same headline and look & feel, until November.

This campaign highlights that electronics, batteries, packaging and textile waste are valuable to the Planet and should be recycled in order to:

• Obtain secondary raw materials to be used in the production of new objects, avoiding their extraction from nature;
• Treat properly the hazardous substances that can be found in these products, such as CFC and greenhouse effect gases (refrigerators), phosphor powder (old tv equipment), mercury (fluorescent lamps and batteries), cadmium and nickel (batteries);
• Avoid waste going to landfills and other inappropriate places, polluting the soil and aquatic ecosystems and harming the biodiversity, the Planet and human beings.

Grant Kinsman (COO Europe & North America of ERP and H2 Compliance): “I’m not trash is a call to action that will drive people to learn more about the waste they produce on a daily basis and realize that, in the end, it can and should have a second life, only possible with the active collaboration of everyone: placing electronics, batteries and packaging in the proper collection solutions. These are free of charge for the consumer and can be found in shops, supermarkets, Municipalities facilities and other proximity points created to facilitate this key behavior.”

During the waste management process, there are different steps where all players have a role in guaranteeing the final result and the implementation of circular economy solutions and waste management procedures.

ERP also invests in awareness and information campaigns showing the importance of consumers as the basis of the scheme, delivering the waste in the right bins, containers or facilities; and the companies that place products on the market and are responsible for their life cycle from manufacturing until they become waste. ERP guarantees that, once integrated into the management system, waste will receive the correct treatment and reach the correct destination, covering all producers' EPR obligations and making the waste management scheme work.

Already present in 17 countries, ERP has been the partner for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legal obligations compliance since 2002, including Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE), batteries, packaging and, most recently, textile products.

It is not only about recycling processes and compliance, it is also about networking. ERP shares knowledge, insights, and news so that together we can promote the sustainable agenda.