Recycle Week 2026 reaches millions across the UK

Last month Recycle Now launched another successful Recycle Week campaign burst, reaching millions across the UK. Hundreds of local authorities, brands, retailers, businesses, schools and organisations came together to mark the nations’ biggest recycling moment - officially sponsored by Boots for 2026.  The campaign came to life across TV, social media, press, and in person, with the call to action to 'Rescue Your Recyclables' and remind citizens that their recycling really is worth it.  
 
The campaign was designed to tackle decreasing feelings of worthwhileness which is showing to have an impact on recycling behaviour, identified by WRAP’s latest research.  This year’s recycling tracker results showed that once again, people’s feelings that their recycling efforts are worthwhile is remaining stagnant. The Recycling Tracker also revealed once again the 18-34 year olds are less likely than older age groups to feel that their individual recycling efforts and worthwhile. To address this, Recycle Now focused the majority of Recycle Week activity on this age group, with local authorities and other partners targeting a wider range of citizens.  
 
On social media and through partners, this was achieved through the ‘Rescue Me, Recycle!’ campaign creative bringing to life commonly binned recyclable items. Each campaign character is based on missed capture data from the UK, showing audiences that many of the items they commonly miss could have live again. Like Spritz the perfume bottle, who can be recycled into a champagne bottle.  
 
In the press, Recycle Now opened up the recycling conversation with a ‘bin behaviours’ survey, lifting the lid on the things we can all relate to about recycling. Local authorities engaged local and regional press up and down the UK, celebrating local recycling performance and sharing key messages on what can and can’t be recycled in each area.  
 
Local authorities and waste management companies took audiences behind the scenes, showing that happens after material gets recycled at kerbside or at a household waste recycling centre – shown in the Recycling Tracker to be a crucial driver of worthwhileness. Brands, retailers and other businesses showed their support highlighting recycled products, packaging, processes and takeback schemes such as Recycle at Boots, offering customers the opportunity to recycle a wide range of items which can’t be recycled from home.  

This year, Recycle Week reached TV screens with a new ‘Rescue Me, Recycle!’ TV ad, featuring a moving interview with Rolly the toilet roll tube, urging audiences to give him a second chance at life and be rescued from the rubbish. The ad was broadcast on Sky channels following WRAP’s success in winning funding through Sky’s Zero Footprint Fund.  
 
Across all channels, the campaign reached over 30 million adults.  Initial post-campaign survey suggest that over one third of 18-34 year olds surveyed recalled seeing something about Recycle Week 2026, exceeding both 2024 and 2025 recall figures.  
 
Attention now turns to maintaining the momentum achieved during Recycle Week, reinforcing messages of worthwhileness, and ensuring citizens have the information to recycle correctly where they live. Follow WRAP on LinkedIn for the latest opportunities to get involved with the campaign.