Publishers including DC Thomson, Immediate Media and Story House Egmont join Wastebuster’s Recycle to Read campaign

DC Thomson, Story House Egmont, Immediate Media, Kennedy Publishing, Redan Publishing and Signature Publishing have all signed up to become founder members of Wastebuster’s Recycle to Read campaign.

The campaign is aimed at creating a more circular economy for children’s toys and will be announcing additional partnerships from the publishing, retail and toy sectors in the coming weeks.

“This is a really exciting time for the programme, thanks to the children’s publishers we are able to get phase one off the ground and we have more and more members coming on board as we progress with our talks,” said Katy Newham, founder of Wastebuster.

“The entire industry is beginning to understand the value of using toys as a force for good, when educating children and their families in how to live a more sustainable life.  Schools who take part in the Recycle to Read programme will benefit from curriculum linked environmental education, based in real life learning and rewarded with books.

“Our collaborative approach and not for profit ethos means that we can offer an environmental solution for all UK companies who produce toys, not just the ones with the deepest pockets. Our investment in education and research means that our solution has the potential to be far reaching and long-lasting.”

Helena Mansell-Stopher, CEO Products of Change and Board Director at Recycle to Read, added: “With only 18% of plastics being recycled globally, and no recycling infrastructure currently in place in the UK to recycle toys, the recycle to read collective impact initiative will provide a solution to this.

“As a cross industry sector initiative, it will be business that will fund the set-up of the toy recycling infrastructure, with all profits going back in to the initiative as Wastebuster are a not for profit environmental educator. Products of Change is extremely proud to be working with the Wastebuster team to bring this solution to the industry”.

For more information on the programme, visit www.recycletoread.org.

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