Partnership with Massachusetts Beverage Association, CARE for the Cape & Islands, Cape Cod Anti-Litter Coalition and other organizations promoted recycling and reuse July through September

Yarmouth, MA – CARE for the Cape & Islands and several partner organizations today announced that a summer-long campaign to promote reduce, reuse and recycling on Cape Cod reached more than two million people through its Take Care public service messaging, signage, and digital advertising.

More than 36,000 people, between July and September, clicked through from Take Care Cape Cod digital public service messages to the Take Care campaign web site. In all, the campaign’s content created more than 12 million impressions and had 2.2 million unique viewers. Each digital ad was seen an average 5.6 times by each unique viewer.

CARE for the Cape & Islands was joined by the Cape Cod Anti-Litter Coalition and Massachusetts Beverage Association as partners in the summer-long ‘Take Care’ campaign.

“We are thrilled that this campaign was able to significantly raise awareness and deliver important public service messaging about recycling and fighting litter to so many visitors, year-round residents, and seasonal workers. We look forward to continuing efforts that turn awareness into action, ” said Jill Talladay, Founder and Executive Director of CARE for the Cape & Islands. “The reach was exponential, and we feel this campaign may have delivered more information about recycling to more people on Cape Cod than any other effort of its kind. It’s critical, however, to look at next steps toward future initiatives and to broaden this coalition even further.”

Other campaign supporters included the Center for Coastal Studies, the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, the Massachusetts Food Association, the New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association, Chatham Recycles and local officials and business owners.

In addition to the digital advertising campaign using high-traffic media properties, public service signage was displayed in various high-traffic locations all over Cape Cod, including point of sale messages at convenience, food, and other retail stores.

“We couldn’t be happier with the results of the ‘Take Care’ campaign,” said Steve Boksanski, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Beverage Association. “All of our members are deeply committed to preserving the beauty and natural integrity of Cape Cod and the entire National Seashore. This effort demonstrated that we can use effective messaging and marketing communications to successfully reach and educate millions of people about recycling.”

Boksanski said the state’s leading beverage companies want to improve the rate of recycling on their industry-standard PET plastic bottles – which are designed to be 100 percent recyclable and when collected can be remade into new bottles, as intended, meaning less new plastic in the environment. Redemption rates since 2010 have declined 28 percent. MBA and its partners believe education and awareness can produce results in driving many more plastic bottles into the recycled materials stream.

“Litter is an unfortunate result when redemption rates decline,” said Meg Morris, Co-Founder and CEO of the Cape Cod Anti-Litter Coalition. “To reverse the trend, we need to step up continual recycling education at all levels – that’s children through working adults to retired seniors – and get back on the recycling track.  This partnership with the beverage industry should continue to assist the Take Care Cape Cod campaign to meet a collective goal of a litter-free Cape Cod by encouraging more recycling.”

The Take Care campaign’s signature ads and other content featured a smiling blue whale with a seagull perched on its head, and a brightly colored ‘Cape Cod Recycles’ flag.