RPC : Berry bpi Supports “Upstream Battle Week” Community Clean-Up

Berry bpi staff joined businesses, charities, children from local primary schools, and councillor Jim McEleny and MP Ronnie Cowan, to collect litter at the Belville Community Garden Trust at Craigend Resource Centre on 18th September.

Provided with Green Sack™ refuse bags made from recycled polythene provided by Berry bpi, the day saw many items of litter prevented from potentially ending up in the sea. Clear guidelines were given to all collectors who helped segregate the litter for recycling, with all suitable plastics taken back by Berry bpi for reprocessing into their Plaswood furniture range.

Plaswood is produced from recycled polythene, diverting valuable waste from landfill and providing a realistic, long-lasting alternative to hardwood that itself can be fully recycled at the end of its use.

To highlight the recyclability of plastics and the opportunity for litter to become something new, two of the Plaswood benches were put on display during the day, before being donated to the Craigend Resource Centre at the end of the clean-up event.

'We had a wonderful time cleaning up the area and working within our local community,' commented Mike Baxter, External Affairs Director at Berry bpi. 'As a group we already recycle over 135,000 tonnes of polythene waste, turning them into new products such as Plaswood and we were therefore delighted to donate two benches for the Craigend Resource Centre to highlight this,' continued Mike.

Also demonstrating the importance of recycling and segregation of litter collected on the day, Berry bpi supported an online competition run by Recoup to win a further Plaswood bench. Volunteers were simply asked to photograph and submit on social media the most unusual find from the Upstream Battle Week of Action, with the winner being presented their Plaswood bench later this year.

Mike concluded, 'Plastic is widely recyclable and it's essential that we help get this message across to everyone. By collecting litter and turning it into something new, such as a Plaswood bench, we can clearly show the journey of recycled plastics and help people to understand the important role they can play.'