Snack your way to raising funds for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance
Turn your empty crisp packets, chocolate wrappers and coffee pods in to cash for the charity
Last updated 7th May 2021
You can once again support Wiltshire Air Ambulance with your recycling as drop off points across Wiltshire reopen.
In line with Government guidelines collections for 'Recycle for Wiltshire's Air Ambulance' have started again.
Organisers of the scheme, Sam Peters and Lesa Snook, took a break from collections during the lockdown but due to demand in supporters wanting to help, they have restarted collections.
"We did scale back before the pandemic because it was turning in to a full-time job, but things are up and running again due to demand.
"Collectors and volunteers were saying this is an easy thing to do, so we said ok lets make sure we're operating well and we've got the support to go again.
"The pandemic has spurred us on even more, it's just motivated us to collect as much as we can."
There are now 70 drop off points across Wiltshire where recyclers can give coffee pods like Tassimo and L'or, crisp packets, biscuit wrappers, baby food pouches and dental care.
All to be recycled and turned in to cash for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance.
Crisps have always been a big recycler, but Sam and Lesa have been receiving a lot more chocolate bar wrappers since lockdown.
"Although saying that one of the local primary schools gave 10 kilograms worth of crisp packets to the scheme."
380 KILOGRAMS OF RECYCLING IN TWO WEEKS
The week starting Monday April 12th Lesa and Sam collected over 180 kilograms worth of recycling.
From 19th April to 23rd over 200 kilos were donated.
"The amounts we've collected in the first couple of weeks of opening has just show how our supporters continued to recycle over lockdown.
"It's easy to think that this bag is in the way, I'll bin it this week, but no people were there helping and they kept hold of it.
"Having good communication with our followers and volunteers is enabling us to make sure that people were keeping hold of their recycling and getting it to us.
"It's so that when we did eventually reopen we knew there was going to be a back log and we know it was going to be a big job.
"Don't put it in the bin, just put it in a bag and drop it off to us, every penny counts, every crisp packet, every chocolate wrapper, it's worth something to the Air ambulance."
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
The scheme is growing so Sam and Lesa are on the lookout for more volunteers.
It doesn't need to be someone who can drive into the centre of Salisbury to help, it could be a relay collector who regularly drives from one place to another.
People as far as Bournemouth are collecting for the scheme, one woman collected two crates of Tassimo pods, which are worth £89 each when they are full.
"It's amazing the volume people drop in Salisbury alone we rotate two maybe three a week and Swindon is the same.
"Just because you're not in Wiltshire it doesn't matter, the Wiltshire Air Ambulance are not just in the county, they cover Dorset, Bristol, Gloucester, they aren't going to cut that off.
"People also send us pods in the post, we've got a lady as far as Scotland who send them to us."
There's more information about the scheme and how you can get involved here.