South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils have installed a number of collection boxes in council buildings as part of a new national campaign to recycle crisp packets.
People can drop off empty crisp packets at collection boxes all over the country and they will be taken away to be recycled. Now there are more places available in southern Oxfordshire after boxes were installed in the reception areas of the councils’ office building at Milton Park, at Cornerstone arts centre in Didcot, and at The Beacon in Wantage.
Here’s what can be recycled:
- Yes please - all crisp packets (empty and not folded up)
- No thanks - popcorn bags, crisp tubes, pretzel bags, meat snack bags.
Crisp packets often contain what the industry calls metallised plastic film – a product that contains both plastic and metal.
This material is not widely recycled and so they are not part of council kerbside recycling collection services.
Crisp manufacturers Walkers recently set up a national recycling collection scheme, where organisations and individuals can arrange to have collection boxes for all brands of crisp packets. They are sent off in bulk to a recycling company and transformed into new plastic items, such as garden furniture.
Cllr Elaine Ware, cabinet member for housing and environment at the Vale of White Horse District Council said: “It is our aim to recycle as much material as possible and to reduce the amount of waste going into the grey bins, which is why the councils are getting involved.”
Cllr Caroline Newton, cabinet member for housing and environment at South Oxfordshire District Council added: “The councils are continually looking at ways to increase our recycling through education and promotions such as this and we hope everyone will support it as much as they can.”
Thame's collection point will be John Hampden Primary School.
For more information and other collection points see the recycling scheme website.
