Recycling project needs more volunteers to cope with demand

A BOURNEMOUTH-based group is in desperate need for volunteers after being inundated with recycling collections, writes Nicole Baddeley. (Bournemouth Echo, April 2019): https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/17547353.recycling-project-needs-more-volunteers-to-cope-with-demand/

Rachel Bennis, Win-on-Waste Ambassador

Recycling scheme, Win-on-Waste, has called for more volunteers to expand the project, after households taking part in the project trebled.

Debbie Thorpe, Win-on-Waste Ambassador said: “For us, as volunteers we only have a finite amount of time and the more people hear about the scheme and bring their waste the more we can’t cope.”

The project is a chance for members of the community to deposit items that ordinarily would not be recycled by the local authority, such as, milk bottle tops, crisp packets, toothbrushes and many other plastic and landfill items.

Rachel Bennis, Ambassador for Win-On-Waste, said: “Last summer we averaged 60 households a month coming to deposit items, we are now reaching over 200. In February we counted 219 households at our drop off centre.”

The Win-on-Waste project was started by Ideas2Action. There are drop off sessions across the Bournemouth area including at Southbourne, Creekmoor and Canford Heath.

Rachel Bennis, Ambassador for Win-On-Waste, said: “As it grows it would be nice to see more collection points across the Bournemouth and Poole area. I think it’s going to grow and spread but then we need more support, so volunteers to come and help at sessions as well as places for storage.”

The project also aims to shine a light on the amount of waste we generate as a society, Kelly Wright, Volunteer said: “Seeing it in large quantities here it really hits home the amount of waste we are creating.”

This sentiment was confirmed by a participant of the programme, Rachel Allen who said: “It’s important to come here to make us reduce the amount of waste.We are a throwaway society and it’s horrendous.”

Deposited items are sent to local charities who can store them and then send them to Terracycle, a recycling firm, who in return give the charities a financial sum. Some items, such as ring-pulls from cans and tins are sent to the Philippines to be upcycled into jewellery by villages.

For collection times and more information go to ideas2action.org.uk/win-on-waste-southbourne/