pressrelease

Contact: Cherry Hamson
Tel: 01527 597757

June 4th, 2007

New Partner For Alupro's Third Trees Campaign

Alupro has chosen a new operating partner for its third national campaign to boost the recycling of aluminium drinks cans and foil. The amount of aluminium recycled each year has risen by 47 per cent since 2003, when the not-for-profit organisation first promised to grow a tree for every tonne of aluminium recycled, with more than 100,000 trees already planted in the UK and Burkina Faso, West Africa.

Now Ripple Africa, a small UK charity which works in Malawi, will be funded over a two-year period to grow at least 85,000 fruit trees, mainly from improved stock to be produced at new nurseries which will be located at the charity's base on Lake Malawi. Guava and pawpaw will also be grown from seed at 75 community tree nurseries.

The valuable trees will not only provide good food for rural families, and help tackle the serious problems of de-forestation in the area, but are intended to form the basis of small fruit drying and juicing businesses as cropping improves.

"The potential for the project to make a real difference to local people is enormous" says Ripple Africa's chief executive Geoff Furber. "At the moment the only improved fruit trees in the area - such as mango, orange and avocado - are imported in very small numbers from South Africa, so combining a source of good fruit tree stock with training at our demonstration nursery should bring real rewards."

"The campaign will be promoted in partnership with local authorities, businesses and recycling service providers, with special educational resources for schools" says Rick Hindley, Executive Director of Alupro. "The great thing is that the more aluminium cans and foil people recycle, the more fruit trees will be grown." Recycling aluminium uses only 5 per cent of the energy needed to make it from bauxite, with equivalent emissions savings.

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Notes for editors

The Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) is a not for profit organisation sponsored by the leading aluminium packaging producer, reprocessor and exporter companies. Its role is to work with all appropriate partners to increase the amount of aluminium packaging collected for recycling, and to represent its members to Government. www.alupro.org.uk

Ripple Africa is a small charity which works in the Nkhata Bay District of Malawi on educational, healthcare and environmental projects. www.rippleafrica.org

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