You will be hard-pressed to find a more recognisable name in the world of bikes than Raleigh. With a huge impact not only on the world of cycling, but much wider, when Raleigh decide to take on an issue such as plastic use in the UK, then we know that it is going to have a positive impact.
So, what has made Raleigh done to change plastic in the UK and why have they made this decision?
The issue with plastic
If you think that plastics are not having that much of an impact on the environment, then you need to think again. Sure, many people are choosing to recycle the plastic that they do use, but there are still plenty of people out there who are not.
In fact, out of the 13 billion plastic bottles that are used throughout the UK (Government statistics) only 7.5 billion of them are recycled. This means that 5.5 billion bottles are still heading to the landfills and is no secret that these are getting full. Not only this, but plastic bottles are also responsible for a third of all the plastic pollution that is found in our oceans and is in turn killing the marine life that call it their home.
Raleigh’s answer
Recognising that something needs to happen in the UK, Raleigh have come up with their very own campaign to tackle single use plastics, or even those plastics that have been re-used but reached the end of their life-span.
Their target is cycling sports bottles, which often end up in landfill once they cannot be used anymore. The campaign that they have launched will encourage cyclists to recycle their old cycle sports bottles, by taking them into a number of independent retailers working with Raleigh for the campaign. You can find out more about these particular retailers by taking a look at the campaign details on the Raleigh website.
On receipt of these bottles, the retailer will then (as long as stocks last) will give the person an XLC bottle which is a long-term sports bottle which can be used time and time again. Not only this, but the XLC bottle is sustainably sourced and made from 100% recycled materials too, Having a much kinder impact on the environment.
As the scheme started in the summer of 2019, there is a chance that those bottles are now going to be running out of stock, therefore, if you want to take advantage of the campaign, then you are going to need to act as fast as possible.
Of course it is going to take more than just one company to completely take on the problem with single use plastics and their impact on the environment. But it is great news that big names such as Raleigh are making an effort to change things and lead the way. We hope that the changes that they are going to make as a part of this campaign will pave the way for other companies out there to also make an effort to think about how they can serve their customers, but also take care of the world around them too.
https://www.raleighbikeparts.co.uk/xlc-bottle-amnesty-campign