Lancaster recycling firm joins forces with community project to help those in need

A Lancaster plastic recycling firm has got on board with a community iniative which aims to support local food producers while raising funds for a worthy cause.
A soap dish made from shredded plastic.A soap dish made from shredded plastic.
A soap dish made from shredded plastic.

North Lancashire’s Sustainable Food Partnership FoodFutures has launched a midwinter campaign to support local food producers whilst simultaneously raising funds for Eggcup’s food justice and community building work.

Good and fair food sits at the heart of this campaign and is symbolised by the FoodFutures Midwinter Hamper.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

One of the hamper’s featured businesses is Precious Plastic Lancaster – a social enterprise that sees opportunity in waste.

Shredded plastic of coat hangers ready to be made into recycled soap dishesShredded plastic of coat hangers ready to be made into recycled soap dishes
Shredded plastic of coat hangers ready to be made into recycled soap dishes

Precious Plastic Lancaster is a not for profit business that takes both pre- and post-consumer waste plastic - from plastic bottle tops and broken tupperware lids to production seconds from local manufacturers.

This local workshop creates 100 per cent recycled plastic products aand will be providing their recycled plastic soap dish in the FoodFutures Midwinter Hamper.

Campaigns about “reduce, reuse, recycle” have trained us to ignore “reduce and reuse” and have divorced us from what really happens after plastic goes into our kerbside recycling bins.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

We know that plastic waste in the oceans is a major environmental issue and plastic that isn’t recycled or incinerated can last 500 years in the environment.

An Eggcup volunteer at work.An Eggcup volunteer at work.
An Eggcup volunteer at work.

However, only seven to 12 per cent of all plastic is recycled, and even when products are made of recycled plastic they may still use virgin plastic.

Precious Plastic Lancaster has brought the full system under one roof and aims to be 100 per cent traceable from waste plastic to final product.

They work locally to collect, clean, sort, and shred plastic that can be made into new products - either as a service for other businesses or for their own product line.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In the hamper’s case, their 100 per cent recycled soap dishes are made of coat hangers and bottle tops.

The products are injected in their Lancaster workshop and each product includes a resin ID code, sometimes known as the recycling number. They will also happily take back their products if you’ve finished with it to create new products.

They also provide education and engagement opportunities for local community groups and schools; offer consultation services for businesses looking to capture and reduce plastic in their operations and innovate new uses for plastic waste, product development and production services.

Some of the most exciting work Precious Plastic Lancaster does is in collaboration with other groups and businesses - for example, an art installation with Creative West End in Morecambe and product development with local plastic part manufacturer Checkpoint Safety.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Whilst they don’t grow or produce food, they share an ethos with Eggcup, which is why their products are a fitting inclusion in the FoodFutures Midwinter Hamper.

All items included in the hamper are being supplied by local growers, producers and makers at a marketable rate, in order to help those businesses.

All proceeds of the hamper sales will support Eggcup’s work stopping surplus food from going to waste and redistributing it to people via the food clubs network.

Purchase your FoodFutures Midwinter Hamper online hereLearn more about Precious Plastic Lancaster on their website here or connect with them via their Facebook page or Instagram.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.