An initiative by the group Greener Gillingham to recycle waste packaging that is not handled by Dorset Council has got off to a strong start.

Volunteers from the group met at the Chantry Community Office, next to the library, on Saturday 18 January to collect five categories of packaging to send for recycing by Terracycle, an international organisation which takes items which Dorset County Council does not recycle.

The items to be collected are crisp packets, confectionery wrappers, bread bags, biscuit and cake bar
wrappers, and peanut, pretzel, and popcorn packets.

Terracycle processes them to make construction materials.

‘There was a steady stream of people bringing varying amounts of waste,’ said Greener Gillingham member Mandy Greenwood. ‘Some had been collecting it for weeks and were glad to find a place to take it.

‘The Greener Gillingham volunteers enjoyed the challenge of helping to sort the various categories and of trying to work out if all the packaging matched the categories to be collected.’

The drop-offs are on the first and third Saturdays of each month. The next date is Saturday 1 February from 10am – noon at the Chantry Community Office.