The vending machines fighting plastic pollution

An eco-conscious recycling initiative started in Suffolk could be adopted in Cambridge and eventually become as far-reaching as Liverpool and Brighton.

West Suffolk Council installed reverse vending machines in Newmarket, Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill a year ago in a bid to encourage more people to recycle.

The incentive works by giving residents and visitors to the county financial rewards on a mobile app if they dispose of bottles or cans in the machines.

The pilot scheme was spearheaded by Newmarket North councillor Janne Jarvis, who hopes the machines can now become an integral part of towns throughout the UK.

Mr Jarvis actually decided to become a councillor with the initial sole purpose of getting the plastic pollution-fighting project rolled out across parts of the county.

"Two or three years ago I looked around Cambridge and I saw the dirt and the litter and I thought this was the perfect place to have these machines," he said.

"But I couldn't get anywhere [with a pilot], so I decided to run in the election in Newmarket and I was lucky enough to win.

"I then presented the plan and the council grabbed hold of it. It's been tremendously successful and it is the first scheme of its kind in Britain - we're leading the way."

In the year to February, a total of 15,943 units were recycled, including 13,407 plastic bottles, as well as 2,575 aluminium cans.

The project initially started as a six-month trial but, following "overwhelming public support", it has continued to grow.

According to Mr Jarvis, Cambridge City Council has now decided to follow suit in installing reverse vending machines.

He hopes it can be "scaled into something more substantial" and help the UK become as sustainable as the likes of Norway, which recycles 97% of all plastic bottles.

"If we are going to be serious about climate change we need to get the basics right and these are the cornerstone of environmental and sustainability," he added.

"There was no reinventing the wheel and [the project] is remarkable in its simplicity but the people have really embraced it and it has been really successful.

"We have requested as far afield as Liverpool and Brighton, but let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Cambridge City Council was contacted for comment.

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