Helen Tandy, Founding Director
Plastic Free Campaigner
Blister Packs Recycling Initiative
Blister packs are one of the most common recycling concerns we hear about, and we’ve been working hard to help people recycle them in our region. Over the past year, we’ve collected blister packs through a few Teracycle bags. More recently, we discovered a more cost-effective collection box, which has allowed us to expand our initiative.
So far, we have placed three collection boxes in Cheshire—two in Chester with Swettenham Pharmacies, funded from our own resources, and one in Helsby, funded by Cllr Chris Copeman. Additionally, we have three more boxes ready for placement: two funded for Hoole Community Centre and St Bernard’s RC Primary and Nursery School, Ellesmere Port, and a third, funded by Cllr Simon Eardley, will be installed in Saughall. This is great news for local residents, and we hope to install even more boxes in May when the Council Members Budget reopens.
Even more exciting, Boots Chemists has announced that it is expanding its blister pack recycling scheme after the trial to all 800 of its stores! The process may seem complex, but you don’t need to collect Advantage Points to recycle your blister packs—you can drop off any type and any brand at participating Boots stores.
For those who do collect Advantage Points, Boots Advantage Card members can now earn 100 points (worth £1) for every five empty blister packs when they drop them off at a participating Boots store and spend £5 or more. Boots has partnered with My Group for recycling, the same recycler we use for our collection boxes from ReFactory.
Residents in Chester and Ellesmere Port are well covered with drop-off locations at Boots stores in Chester, Greyhound Park, and Cheshire Oaks. If you have a Boots store near you, this is an easy way to recycle blister packs. For those who, like me, take a lot of medication but don’t usually shop at Boots, we can still make use of the local collection points, such as Hoole. If you do shop at Boots, why not earn some Advantage Points while doing something great for the planet?
Get Involved
Please support this campaign by:
- Spreading awareness about local collection points via social media and community groups.
- Encouraging local pharmacies and businesses to install their own collection boxes.
- Writing to local councillors to advocate for additional funding for more recycling bins.
- Organizing community drop-off events to make it easier for residents to participate.
- Sharing success stories and inspiring others to recycle their blister packs effectively.
Tackling Chewing Gum Waste
Chewing gum is another persistent waste issue, littering our streets and costing councils more than £1.2 million annually to clean up. None of us want our council tax going towards cleaning up discarded gum, so we need to find better solutions. Chewing gum contains plastic? Yes, that piece of gum in your mouth is actually made from the same plastics found in carrier bags, shampoo bottles, and even car tyres. According to City to Sea brits chew a whopping 4 billion pieces of plastic gum.
Ban Plastic Chewing Gum
Plastic-based chewing gum is a major contributor to street litter and environmental pollution. To help tackle this issue, residents can take action by:
- We want the UK Government to ban plastic chewing gum – Saving 4 billion pieces of single-use plastic from harming Brits and our planet. Every. Single. Year. Sign the 38 Degrees Petition by City to Sea and Nude to call for action – CLICK HERE.
- Encouraging local businesses and councils to promote biodegradable alternatives.
- Raise awareness in schools and community groups about the impact of chewing gum waste.
- Participating in local clean-up initiatives like our community litter picks to highlight the extent of the problem and drive change.
By campaigning for a ban on plastic chewing gum, we can help reduce waste and encourage more sustainable choices
