The National Consumer Council is proposing a bold new initiative that has the potential to boost recycling and encourage people to adopt a more ‘environmentally friendly’ lifestyle.

If introduced, the recycling lottery would give people the opportunity to win a major cash prize through entering a prize draw using recycled products as the ticket.

In Norway, a recycling lottery has more than doubled the number of people recycling drink cartons from just 30 per cent to 70 per cent of the population. All you do is squash your carton, write your name and number on it and pop it into the recycling bin for entry into the prize draw.

In the UK the scheme could be used to encourage people to recycle a range of products. The NCC thinks that a Recycling Lottery could help tackle Britain’s battery mountain. Batteries are highly toxic and can leach chemicals when thrown away. Very few household batteries are recycled. Of a total 25,000 tonnes of household and industrial batteries generated each year, just 1,000 tonnes are recycled.

The NCC commissioned research through YouGov to find out whether people would participate in a lottery draw. Overall, three quarters of those asked said they thought it would be a good idea, with over eighty per cent of 18 – 29 year olds being keen to see it introduced.

National Consumer Council Chief Executive, Ed Mayo, said, ‘This is one of the most exciting and imaginative schemes there is – it’s simple, fun and effective. It’s a terrific way to get people interested in and engaged with recycling, and to reward them for playing their part.’

People have been exhorted to act 'greener' for over twenty years. Sixteen pain- free ways to help save the planet, an NCC report launched today, shows that finding creative ideas to encourage people to recycle and become more sustainable consumers has the potential to bring about real change.

The NCC report estimates that consumers face up to 500 different pieces of advice on what they should do to be greener. Instead of just ‘finger wagging’ the NCC says it is time to engage consumers though incentives. The NCC has compiled a set of schemes – UK-based and international – that demonstrate effective solutions that have transformed consumer behaviour and encouraged them to adopt a more ‘environmentally friendly’ way of life across the fields of energy, transport, recycling and water conservation.

Ed Mayo added, ‘The schemes in Sixteen pain-free ways show that there is good cause for optimism. The projects have all been evaluated against our success checklist and have all persuaded people to change their behaviour. We urge policy makers to look at them seriously and consider piloting some of these effective solutions.’

16 pain-free ways to help save the planet, by Maxine Holdsworth with Paul Steedman, can be found at http://www.ncc.org.uk/responsibleconsumption/16ways.pdf