PRESS RELEASE
18th December 2012
Karma is King!

Love NZ’s Karma campaign celebrates fantastic recycling of drink and food containers.

Over a two month period Love NZ’s “It’s a Karma Thing” campaign has resulted in Kiwis scanning around 42,000 drink and food containers or around 1.2 tonnes of packaging into Love NZ recycling bins situated nationwide. This would fill a Ford Transit van or a 20 seat bus.

Lyn Mayes, Manager of Love NZ Programme says the campaign has achieved its principal objective of getting people of all ages to use and recognise the Love NZ bins around the country.

“Councils and businesses put the Karma QR code stickers on over 1000 Love NZ recycling bins from Whangarei to Invercargill and with every bin individually identified this has provided some valuable insights into which bins get the most use.” The regions where people have really embraced the Karma campaign are Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin, Nelson and Hamilton.

The campaign has been led by Coca-Cola Amatil NZ, with support from Trade Me, Vodafone, The Warehouse and Countdown, local councils and venues across the country. Companies have donated great prizes which have been won by Karma participants including electronics, phones, BBQ’s, travel, entertainment and shopping vouchers.

Keen to spread the message far and wide the campaign utilised the Facebook and Twitter networks from supporting sponsors to connect with people resulting in over 14,000 hits, likes or tweets. The campaign also resulted in over half a million opportunities for people to view or read about Love NZ as a result of other promotional initiatives such as: participant generated you tube videos; councils championing the campaign locally and presentation by Countdown Today on its regular TVNZ breakfast advertisement.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3s0RGebtpE

• http://www.lovenz.org.nz/news/post/love-nz-at-countdown

Coca-Cola Amatil Managing Director George Adams says the company is thrilled with the results of the Karma campaign. “We wanted to create an activity that was innovative, fun and simple to take part in. Rewarding positive recycling behavior when New Zealanders are out and about makes sense as although we get good participation rates for at home recycling they’re just not the same in public places. Most importantly the campaign was a designed as catalyst for ongoing improved public place recycling so we hope the karma continues.”

Nicky Wagner, MP for Christchurch Central and Chair of the Love NZ Board says the campaign demonstrates the value of partnerships between industry and local and central government:-

“The Karma campaign has incentivised hundreds of New Zealanders to look for the Love NZ recycling bins and put their bottles and cans in them and in return people have won some amazing prizes donated by industry. Over the summer New Zealanders generate an estimated 30% more waste and most of it can be recycled if people put it into the recycling bin rather than the rubbish bin. This year with more Love NZ recycling bins at tourist locations, stadia and concerts, there are more opportunities to do the right thing away from home just as we do at home.”

One family who have taken the Karma campaign’s mission to heart are the Buckingham’s from Totara Vale in Auckland. Mum, Dad and the kids have all been recycling, earning ‘kredits’ and bidding for prizes.

Dad, Adam Buckingham says “the Karma Campaign has been a great promotion for the Love NZ bins. It’s offered excellent incentive prizes and through the online bidding Clay my seven year old son has learnt how auctions work”. Clay says “it was fun hunting for codes on the Love NZ recycling bins”. (photo below featuring Clay Buckingham aged 7 and Ellie Buckingham aged3)

Love NZ public place recycling initiatives have been funded by a $2.35 million grant from the Government’s Waste Minimisation Fund, $500,000 from the Glass Packaging Forum and direct commercial sponsorship to date of over $545,000.
Ellie and Clay Buckingham recycling in Auckland

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