Smurfit Kappa Recycling Helps Turn Paper into Water

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Waste paper and cardboard thrown out by staff at South East Water’s head office in Snodland, Kent is being turned into water thanks to the help of Smurfit Kappa Recycling.

Waste paper and cardboard thrown out by staff at South East Water’s head office in Snodland, Kent is being turned into water thanks to the help of Smurfit Kappa Recycling.

Staff at South East Water are encouraged to throw waste paper and cardboard into a special bin on site at the head office. When the bin fills up it is taken away by Smurfit Kappa Recycling, weighed and then the weight of the waste is converted into cash for WaterAid, a charity which works to provide safe water, sanitation and hygiene education projects in some of the world’s poorest communities.

All of the paper and cardboard collected is taken straight to the local Smurfit Kappa paper mill in the same town for reprocessing and is used throughout the Smurfit Kappa supply chain to produce new packaging materials.

Smurfit Kappa Recycling’s commercial manager for the South East, Sarah Lesting said: “This is a win-win initiative. As well as providing much needed funds for a deserving charity, South East Water is choosing a local and responsible recycling solution that minimises carbon emissions and supports local industry.”

Sue Sampson, facilities supervisor at South East Water, said: “WaterAid is the Company’s own nominated charity and a cause very close to our heart, as just £15 can enable one person to access safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation. This scheme not only ensures our paper and cardboard waste is recycled, it enables the Company to help a charity provide fresh water to those who are not as fortunate as us.”

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About Smurfit Kappa Recycling:
Part of the world’s largest fibre-based packaging group (Smurfit Kappa Group), Smurfit Kappa Recycling provides a full spectrum of bespoke paper and board recycling solutions for businesses and organisations of all sizes including recovery of cardboard, office papers and plastics and security shredding. The Group paper mills in Birmingham and Kent reprocess 500,000 tonnes of material per annum, providing a reliable market for recovered paper and card. This enables Smurfit Kappa UK to collect and recycle as much paper based packaging as it produces. www.sustainablerecycling.co.uk

About WaterAid:
WaterAid’s vision is of a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation. Our mission is to transform lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world’s poorest communities. We work with partners and influence decision-makers to maximise our impact. www.wateraid.org
• At least 4,000 children die every day as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation.
• 884 million people in the world do not have access to safe water. This is roughly one in eight of the world's population.
• 2.6 billion people in the world do not have access to adequate sanitation, this is almost two fifths of the world's population.
• Just £15 can enable one person to access safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation.