Doncaster woman raises hundreds for charity by recycling the 'unrecyclable'

Jessica Mann has raised more than £1,700 for charity by collecting used food storage containers and other items that are not included in council kerbside recycling collections to send them to TerraCycle for recycling, keeping them out of landfill and helping to save the planet.

And she is urging local residents to bring even more of their items to her drop-off location to help raise more funds towards Tia Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue.

Jessica has raised £1,768 for Tia Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue by signing up to the Sistema Food Storage Container and Reusable Bottle Free Recycling Programme which enabled her to set up a drop-off point for “hard-to-recycle” items.

As well as food storage containers and drinks bottles, the items collected include biscuit and snack wrappers, dental care products and Pringles tubes. These items are not included in council kerbside recycling collections so have traditionally been destined for landfill or incineration.

Once dropped off at Jessica’s location, the items are sent to TerraCycle, the world leader in recycling hard-to-recycle waste.

For every item collected, TerraCycle points are earned which are redeemed as monetary donations to Jessica’s chosen charity, Tia Greyhound Rescue to help animals at the end of their racing careers.

The drop-off point can be found at 6 Farlawns Court in Balby, Doncaster and the bins are accessible 24/7. Local residents are encouraged to bring their “unrecyclable” items to the location to be recycled and help boost Jessica’s fundraising efforts.

Jessica commented: “So far we’ve raised nearly £1,800 for charity by sending this waste to TerraCycle.

"We donate the funds to Tia Greyhound Rescue who use the donations to rescue and rehome greyhounds after their racing career has ended or if they are not suitable for racing, as well as strays and those that are unable to be rehomed due to behavioural issues.

"The charity receives no money from the racing industry and remains an independent rescue centre meaning they need all the support they can get.”

The collected items are sent to TerraCycle and are recycled by shredding, cleaning and turning into plastic pellets which can then be used by manufacturers to create new generic plastic products, such as outdoor equipment – reducing the need to extract new resources from the planet.

Jessica added: “We already have a great network across Yorkshire and the surrounding areas, but we encourage everyone in the area to get involved and sort, save and bring the items we can recycle to our drop-off location. It’s a great way to reduce the amount of waste you send to landfill, and it also helps raise funds for a great cause.”

Jessica has signed up to programmes including the pladis Biscuits and Snacks, Philips Dental Care and Pringles Tube Free Recycling Programmes. You can find a full list of what Jessica can accept on her Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2451084888479659/.

For more information about TerraCycle, or to get involved and help Jessica with her recycling efforts, head to https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB.