Enjoying your lunchtime packet of crisps? We all do, don’t we? However, have you ever thought just how much waste they cause? The vast majority head to landfill but the Hereford Community Recycling and Reuse Group had other ideas ….
This is just some of what this amazing group has achieved so far:
Crisp Packets – TerraCycle Scheme – 1,000,000 packets saved from landfill in 2019, slightly down last year due to COVID-19 but the group still saved 500,000 meaning that they are one of the top ten crisp packet collectors in UK.
The group also raised £1,600 for Born Sleeping Appeal at Hereford County Hospital.
Last year 500,000 plastic bottle tops were saved and sent to a company called Stormboard in Frome who turn them into 6’ x 3’ boards which are used to make refugee homes in Syria.
Video, DVD, CD and cassettes – these go to the Butterfly Garden in Cheltenham who look after vulnerable adults, it forms both a recycling and teaching exercise for the students.
Drinks cans, foil and unwanted garden tools – these go very locally to Widemarsh Ventures, very much as Butterfly Garden, cans and foil are crushed and weighed in at RMW, tools are repaired and sold in their shop at Maylord Shopping Centre raising much needed funds for them.
Electrical cables, leads, phone chargers – This is kept in-house raising money for the group, and all weighed in locally at RMW
Mobile phone cases – another TerraCycle Scheme, everything raised goes to Stretton Sugwas Primary School.
Spectacles – kept for Bromyard Lions Club, helping those in need of glasses all across the world.
Wheelchairs and walkers – Collected for Hereford Lions Club who will safety check, repair and give out free to those in need.
Pens – another TerraCycle Scheme this time collecting used and unwanted pens for Garway Primary School who raise money via BIC.
Books – collected and sold to Goldstone Books in Carmarthen, raises funds for the group, they sell books online.
Wellie Bank – The group sells used wellies for both adult and children, at £1 per pair, all are donated and on one day in December the group sold 400 pairs, those with holes or not in pairs are recycled with clothing.
Toy Bank – set up to reuse unwanted toys, games, and puzzles, the group helped 400 children in the run up to Christmas by distributing toys via social services, support works and health works along with the primary schools and Nurseries. They continue to help those when required and currently send off for recycling about one tonne of toys a week for reuse.
Printer ink and toner cartridges – recycled raising money for Herefordshire Wildlife Trust.
Bras – now collected for the Breast Cancer Unit at Worcester County Hospital following closure of Breast Cancer Haven
Bikes – Collected for Hereford Cycle Hub and Envirobility in Ross, the agreement is they keep all adult bikes, do up and sell where they can, children’s bikes come back to for distribution to social works etc who give free to families who’s children would normally go without.
Plant pots – initially set up for recycling but now most goes for reuse to allotment societies, schools and individuals, they have done about 5,000 this year so far, along with watering cans and hose pipes.
Children’s clothing – from new born to about 14 years the group collects, sorts and divides into age and sex and store for reuse by the various agencies in Herefordshire to help all children who need used but clean clothing, this also applies to cots, baby baths, push chairs, bedding etc it’s all done for free includes shoes and coats
Adult clothing – initially for the homeless and women’s refuges, now serves any adult referred. The group has emergency suitcases filled with clothes and toiletries divided into sizes and ready for immediate use when needed, this has been used recently by social services for ladies taken in for help by the Refuge.
Furniture, crockery, cutlery, saucepans, rugs, bedding, curtains etc – all donated by people of Herefordshire and used to help anyone in need, the group works with Taurus Healthcare, CCP, West Mercia Women’s Aid, Citizen Housing, Spring Housing, Herefordshire Housing, Hereford Homeless Support, Children’s and adults services, health workers and support workers.
To help out, please visit – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1857098934353133/?ref=share
