Telford mum sets up recycling drop-off in front garden

Liz Pinfield-Wells is now a trustee for the Climate Action Hub Telford

A mum from Telford has set up a recycling drop-off point in her front garden for items not included in council kerbside collections.

Liz Pinfield-Wells, from Dawley, is encouraging people to drop off items such as crisp packets and toothbrushes that are made from mixed materials.

Items are then sent to TerraCycle and she earns points that are then redeemed as donations for a chosen charity.

"Hopefully I'm doing a good thing," Mrs Pinfield-Wells said.

The mother-of-two said she had been raising money for her daughter's gymnastics group and was now a trustee of the Climate Action Hub Telford.

When the hub gets a new premises, Mrs Pinfield-Wells said she hoped to move her recycling drop-off there.

Made into watering cans

"Obviously on a day like today, if people are coming with crisp packets they're blowing away, getting wet and covered in snow," she said.

Other items include empty crisp tubes, cheese packaging and pumps from hand wash bottles.

"They have metal and plastic in them, so you shouldn't really be putting that in your kerbside bin," she said.

Mrs Pinfield-Wells said the items were sent off to TerraCycle, shredded into small plastic pellets and made into things such as watering cans and benches.

TerraCycle says its aim is to work with businesses, governments and people "globally to keep rubbish out of landfills or from incineration".

"They give the materials a longer life," Mrs Pinfield-Wells said.