Many people may not realise that their plastic milk bottle tops cannot be recycled with other plastics by Herefordshire Council, but they can be recycled and converted into funds for charities.

Mark and Angela Calvin of the Ledbury and Malvern branch of Guide Dogs For the Blind, live in Kings Caple. They have been collecting and recycling bottle tops for many years, and from these they can raise funds for the charity, as some polymer companies will buy them.

Some local residents may not know that Herefordshire Council can not accept plastic bottle tops from any containers in their recycling, although they can recycle the bottles themselves. A full list of what the council is able and unable to recycle is featured online:?www.herefordshire.gov.uk.

Caffè Eleganza on Broad Street have been collecting their milk bottle tops and donating them to Guide Dogs for the Blind, for approximately six months now. On average, they manage to fill a carrier bag each week with these plastic tops, and Mark estimates that this has raised between £50 and £100 for the charity so far.

However, Caffè Eleganza is not a drop off point for the bottle tops; the cafe just keep and collect the milk bottle tops that they use. Until recently there has not been a designated drop-off point in the town centre for local residents to take their milk bottle tops to be recycled and turned into funds for charity.

A local resident and business owner, Andrew Meek of GMP Software was aware that the local council are not able to recycle the plastic bottle tops, and not wanting these to end up in landfill sites, he wanted to find a solution.

Andrew had seen some letters in the Ross Gazette, where one local woman asked where she could drop off her milk bottle tops to be recycled and turned into funds for charity. She received a reply that Guide Dogs for the Blind in Kings Caple were collecting them.

Andrew approached a Ross-based charity, EnviroAbility, which had brought a recycling service to Ross long before it became government policy to increase levels of waste recycled by individuals.

In May, EnviroAbility had to reduce the amount of recycling they were able to take; EnviroAbility still collect paper and cardboard from local businesses and traders, but they are no longer able to offer a service where they collect plastic, cans and tins.

Andrew approached EnviroAbility to ask whether they would be willing to act as a drop off point for local people to take their plastic milk bottle tops, and to his, Mark and Angela’s joy, EnviroAbility agreed.

Mark told the Ross Gazette that Guide Dogs for The Blind are very grateful to EnviroAbility for offering their time and their space. He said he and Angela will collect these bottle tops on a regular basis, and this will be a funding boost for the charity.

To drop of your plastic milk bottle tops, please take them to EnviroAbility, located in Palma Court on Brookend Street, opposite Aldi. It will not only reduce the amount of plastic in landfill sites, but a local charity will benefit too.

Plastic milk bottle tops are also able to be dropped off at the Larruperz Centre; a woman who plays Bridge each week collects them to convert them into funds. She is raising money to provide a guide dog to someone who is visually impaired.