Pat Cash plans to 'constantly pester' Britain on recycling

The week-long Big Recycle campaign involves 239 councils, recycling companies, and the environmental firm co-founded by Cash, Planet Ark.

"Britons have got to become more aware of what is recycleable," said Cash.

The UK recycles just 14.5% of household waste, far behind countries like the Netherlands (59%) and Austria (58%).

Planet Ark co-founder Jon Dee said Britain had been relatively slow starting concerted recycling efforts.

"But there are councils in Britain that are achieving recycling rates as good as we are seeing in the most successful countries," he said.

"They are proving that it is possible for Britain to recycle much more."

RECYCLING: DID YOU KNOW? The UK produces enough waste in less than two hours to fill London's Albert Hall Britons throw away an average of seven times their own body weight in rubbish every year If the UK recycled all aluminium cans, 14m fewer dustbins would be filled every year Recycling one aluminium can saves enough energy to power a television for three hours The average British family throws away six trees' worth of paper every year SOURCE: Recyclezone, WRAP.

The Big Recycle is part of the government's ongoing Recycle Now effort.

Recycle Now, including a �10m advertising campaign launched last month, aims to create awareness and desire to recycle, while the Big Recycle will show people how to do that at the local level.

The campaign's website includes a facility to search by postcode and find details of local recycling facilities.

Cash said: "The aim is to get more people to recycle more things, more often.

"You put your milk bottle outside after you use it, there is no reason why you shouldn't put out aluminium cans and plastic bottles and so on."

The government wants the UK to be recycling 25% of household waste by the end of 2005, as part of efforts to meet European Union targets on reducing waste going to landfill.

Reaching the EU targets would see the worth of Britain's recycling industry double from an estimated �12bn, creating "significant numbers of jobs" and making "a real contribution to the overall economy", Mr Dee said.