South Yorkshire bottle top collection raises £4000 for Yorkshire Cancer Research content
People across South Yorkshire have raised more than £4000 for Yorkshire Cancer Research by collecting and recycling plastic milk bottle tops.
The scheme was set up by former teacher Angela Saxby, and has grown to involve 12 collection hubs and dozens of volunteers across the region.
Angela said: “I’ve always been a keen recycler, and I wanted to see how saving plastic could help to raise funds for Yorkshire Cancer Research.
“I was aware of schemes in other parts of the country that encouraged people to collect their milk bottle tops to be sold to plastic recycling firms, and I thought it would be great to bring that idea to Yorkshire. The scheme is totally inclusive and costs nothing to get involved.
Quote from Angela
“I chose to fundraise for Yorkshire Cancer Research because I wanted the money to benefit people living in our region. Cancer affects every single family. Everyone is touched by it, so it’s a charity that a lot of people want to support.”
Angela started the collection with only the help of her husband Steve, but after four years she now has a network of drop-off hubs and a team of volunteers who help gather tops and encourage friends, family, workplaces, and schools to save their milk bottle tops.
Collection hubs have been set up in sports centres, garden centres and shops across the region, and are open to the public to drop off their plastic bottle tops.
Angela said: “It only takes one person to start recycling and there’s a snowball effect. I started collecting, and encouraged everyone I knew to do the same, and now here we are. I’ve no doubt that there are Yorkshire Cancer Research supporters all over that I’ll never get to meet, who are collecting their bottle tops and dropping them off to be recycled.
Since the scheme was set up in 2019...
Angela has collected 1,000 sacks of bottle tops to be recycled, which is the equivalent of 2.5 tonnes of plastic.
Once collected, the tops are delivered to Van Werven Plastic Recycling in Selby, who pay the value of the plastic to Yorkshire Cancer Research. After processing, the ‘new’ plastic is sold on to be used again in manufacturing products.
She said: “The first time we delivered the bottle tops to be recycled, we filled our car with bags, and I could hardly move in the passenger’s seat. They were in the footwell and piled on my knee, but we managed to delivery about 100 kilograms of plastic in one go.
“We’ve moved on from using the car and now have a van to deliver the bottle tops, which makes it a lot easier.”
People from all across South Yorkshire now collect their milk bottle tops, and many local businesses, cafes and community groups save their tops to contribute to Angela’s donations.
Angela continued: “Yorkshire is such a huge county, and I get enquiries from people all over the region wanting to get involved in the scheme.
“I recently had some bags of bottle tops dropped off from a group of ladies in Thirsk, as they happened to be travelling past one of the drop off points. I’d love to see the scheme expand and more people get involved right across Yorkshire.
“One of the best things about the scheme is working with like-minded people who want to help combat plastic pollution and who are willing to dedicate their time and effort to help raise funds for such a worthwhile charity.”
