Beating the drum (and bass) for recycling

Cider and fruit lager manufacturer Kopparberg has developed a novel way of encouraging people to recycle their discarded cans and bottles.

The drinks firm has built a ‘recycling rig’ truck, which will be making a series of appearances across London – including London Fields, Victoria Park and Finsbury Park – this bank holiday weekend.

Built from up-cycled materials including reclaimed wood, the 3m high truck features a total of 30 music speakers, which the firm said will be ‘powered’ by the empties handed in by Londoners.

The more bottles and cans that are deposited at the truck, the longer the music will play and Kopparberg have promised exclusive DJ sets from Pixie Geldof and DJ Yoda.

‘As a nation, we are always under pressure to do our part by making the planet cleaner and more environmentally friendly place to live,’ said the firm’s senior marketing manger, Rob Salvesen.

‘In the capital, Londoners will be aware that during the hot summer months, thousands of sun worshippers flock to their local parks to spend time with friends and loved ones.

‘During the day, empty bottles and cans can build up and are often left behind,’ added Salvesen.

‘As Kopparberg is a popular drink of choice during the summer, we wanted to make sure people are acknowledging the issue of the leftover empties by doing their bit, turning bottles into beats – helping keep the parks tidy by bringing a smile to people’s faces.’

Mr Salvesen said all the empty bottles and cans handed in at the truck with then be methodically sorted, packaged and taken to a local recycling centre.

‘Discarded litter makes our beautiful green spaces look ugly, tired and unwelcome – it is important as one of the busiest and most visited cities on earth we maintain a high level of cleanliness in London’s most popular parks,’ said Mr Salvesen.

‘In Sweden, where our fruit cider is brewed – the locals pride themselves on maintaining and caring for their open spaces. This is an ethos we want to be instilling into the mindsets of our fans in the UK.

‘We manufacture all our products using recyclable materials and label each any every one of our bottles and cans with the certified Keep Britain Tidy logo.’

Photos by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Kopparberg