It’s not just newspapers and glass bottles that can be recycled – biscuit wrappers, baby wipe packets and even lolly sticks can all be saved to help your local community.

That’s the message the organisers behind this year’s Recycle Week are hoping to spread, as they host a range of events throughout the county from Monday to Sunday.

Voluntary group Ideas2Action runs small projects which currently involve recycling in some way and is urging people to look around their homes and think about items they have which they may not have thought about recycling before.

The organisation is also promoting its We Need That recycling directory during Recycle Week, which highlights the needs of 37 charities, schools, playgroups and faith groups, showing that the items many of us throw away could be collected and sold to raise money for community organisations.

“As well as the general public, membership organisations and employees from local businesses are getting together to save items to donate to We Need That,” explains Ideas2Action co-ordinator Monique Munroe, who is keen to spread the recycling message as far as possible.

Ideas2Action, which marks its second anniversary in October, has also run Win on Waste projects in Canford Heath and Creekmoor in Poole, where residents collected a different item each month for three months.

A total of 1,227 milk bottle tops were collected for Montacute School during the Creekmoor project.
Recycle Week is the big push to get people involved in recycling and Monique is keen to show that donating unwanted items to worthy causes can make a difference.

For example, a project at Poole Hospital where empty baby wipes packets and baby food pouches were collected raised more than £330.

“The neonatal intensive care unit will purchase a camcorder with the money,” said Monique.

“The paediatric physiotherapist and nurses on the neonatal ward will record baby movements when they examine babies. 

“It will become a valuable asset in interpreting issues surrounding developmental care and future diagnosis.”

Of course, many of the projects will continue long after Recycle Week itself is over, but Monique hopes the initiative will urge people to get into the recycling habit.

“What’s great about our recycling projects is it’s a win-win for everyone,” she explained.

“They cut down on waste and help the environment, they help charities with their fundraising or service delivery and they bring people together.”

A number of events are taking place around Dorset for Recycle Week, which runs Monday June 22 to Sunday, June 28.

Here's how you can get involved. 

1. The Pie House in Tuckton is collecting sunglasses/glasses, mobile phones, wool, broken jewellery and beads all week.

2. All Fired Up in The Square, Bournemouth will be collecting glasses/sunglasses all week.

3. Asda in West Quay Road, Poole will be collecting glasses and sunglasses all week.

4. Ideas2Action will have a Recycle Week stand at Poole Central Library from Monday to Friday, with copies of its We Need That directory available for those who do not have a computer, and leaflets detailing the online link for those who do. There will also be a selection of items on display showing how easy it is to help local charities by saving some of your waste.

5. Residents in Canford Heath will donate all collected items to the Coffee House Cafe between 10am and 11am on Saturday.

6. Creekmoor residents will be donating recycling to Creekmoor Library between 11.30am and 12.30pm on Saturday.

7. A Give or Take event is being held from 2pm to 4pm on Saturday at the Henry Brown Youth Centre in West Howe, organised by Diane Humphries from West Howe Community Enterprises.

Following Recycle Week, a number of projects will continue to run:

1. The collection of unwanted office furniture or IT equipment for local charities – anyone wishing to donate should call Romany at Bournemouth CVS on 01202 466130 or email romany.ross@bournemouthcvs.org.uk, who will let the voluntary sector of Bournemouth and Poole know.

2. Dorset Blind collects aluminium drink cans and sunglasses, the latter to sell for people to decorate at festivals throughout the summer. Anyone who can help should email helena@dorsetblind.org.uk.

3. Not-for-profit charity Dorset Scrapstore relies on donations which it sells to fund its operating costs such as shop rent. To find out more, or if you can help, email enquiries@ dorsetscrapstore.org.uk.

4. Ideas2Action collects biscuit wrappers from any variety or make of sweet biscuits to help fund its running costs at The Coffee House Cafe in Adastral Square, Canford Heath, New Orchard Cafe in New Orchard, Poole, Oakdale Residents Community Association Cafe in the Oakdale Centre in Wimborne Road, Poole, or you can post them to Ideas2Action c/o Poole CVS, Floor 3, Beech House, 28-30 Wimborne Road, Poole, BH15 2BU.

  • To find out about other charities or projects which could benefit from your unwanted waste, take a look at the We Need That directory at ideas2action.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/We-Need-That-February-2015.pdf
  • Visit ideas2action.org.uk.
  • For details on Recycle Week, visit recyclenow.com or facebook.com/recycle now or follow @recycle_now on Twitter