A charity that supports local people with sight problems has received £1,000 from a recycling pledge campaign.

In January, the Notts Recycles Pledge initiative encouraged residents to think of ways they could start 2021 in an environmentally-friendly way.

For each pledge made by residents, £1 was donated by Veolia — Nottinghamshire County Council waste and recycling contractor — to the council chairman’s chosen charity, My Sight Nottinghamshire.

A total of 676 residents took the campaign and made a variety of pledges to reduce, reuse or recycle. In recognition of the dedication from these residents, Veolia has topped up the total to £1,000 for the charity MySight Nottinghamshire.

Examples of some of the Notts Recycles pledges made:

• Joy from Ashfield pledged: “To keep up to date in what we can and can’t recycle. To waste less food by using leftovers or older veg in the fridge to make nutritious soups and buy less pre packaged fruit and vegetables”

• Jay from Broxtowe pledged: “To find 5 creative ways to reuse non recyclable plastics (e.g. meat trays)”

• Samantha from Mansfield pledged to: “Take my glass bottles and jars to the recycle point when I go to the supermarket, carry a bag for life in my handbag, and remember to take my reusable bags to the supermarket.”
  
• Karen from Newark & Sherwood pledged: “I will upcycle old clothes rather than throwing them away, by using the fabric to create new clothes or household items. If I can’t do this with any item, I will donate it to charity.”

• Gemma  from Broxtowe pledged: “To get my family to start putting aerosol bottles in the recycling bin”

Nottinghamshire County Council chairman Coun Stuart Wallace said: “Thank you to all that made a Notts Recycles pledge during January and supported our campaign to help raise valuable funds for My Sight Nottinghamshire whilst raising awareness about the importance of recycling.“

Lea Hawkes, general manager for Veolia Nottinghamshire, said: ‘We are delighted by the total raised for this charity campaign and wish to thank all those who made a pledge for their support. The number and variety of pledges was fantastic and showed that small changes can make real improvements to our environment.”

Lydia Fenton, fundraising manager at My Sight Nottinghamshire, said: “We’d like to thank Nottinghamshire County Council, Veolia (the council’s waste contractor) and everyone who made a pledge as part of the Notts Recycles Scheme. 

“Not only has the scheme helped to create a greener, most sustainable Nottinghamshire, it’s also helped raise £1,000 for My Sight Notts and the local blind and partially sighted people our charity supports. With this donation we will recruit, train and support more volunteer telephone and tech befrienders who will help us tackle the loneliness and isolation so many local blind people experience, so that fewer local people have to face sight loss alone.”

For more information about how to recycle at home go to .veolia.co.uk/nottinghamshire/Recyclefornottinghamshire

To find out more about Veolia call 0203 567 4370 or visit www.veolia.co.uk/nottinghamshire