Forum Topic

what charity collects milk tops?

Does anybody know what charities collect the red, green, blue tops of plastic milk cartons? I have heard that some charities can convert them into cash. Thankyou.

Kyria- Josephine Sewell ● 5831d6 Comments

http://www.giftofsight.org.uk/how_you_can_help/index.htmlYou'd need to check this is current.  I really don't think they are worth very much though and you'd need to find someone who travelled to the Southampton area.  University?

Philippa Bond ● 5830d

Also try www.myzerowaste.com    They've some info.

Philippa Bond ● 5830d

Can I be controversial and cite the original suggestion as an example of wasteful recycling? All recycling has both benefits and costs; people should be more aware when costs exceed the benefits.I have just weighed the plastic lid from a 1 litre milk carton, and found it to weigh 1.6 grams. The bulk value of coloured PET plastic is currently (from letsrecycle.com) £130 per tonne, or per 625,000 carton lids. At bulk rates, therefore, 50 lids are worth 1p, and will certainly cost more than 1p in postage or fuel to deliver to the charity.Why not put the lids into council recycling, and donate online to the charity whatever it would have cost to post them? That won't cost any more; the charity will get more money for less hassle; and the lids will still be recycled.

Ian M Green ● 5829d

Is it to do with recycling?  Maybe it is to do with community involvement in something.LBE are so general in their description of what can be recycled that it is almost vague. (Ducks for cover.) Other Councils ask you to rinse and squash your bottles and replace the caps (Oxford) or to rinse and squash your bottles and chuck away the tops (South Hams).If I already had a big collection of these I would want to know that they would be recycled before I put them in the Council collection.  As I understand it LBE plastics 'recycling' goes to Greenford to be sorted.

Philippa Bond ● 5829d

Thanks for all your input which I am still thinking through.We drink about 40 pints of milk a week in this household so it would be nice to do something worthwhile with all the tops!

Kyria- Josephine Sewell ● 5828d

The LBE website has two differing paragraphs one practically following the other on what can go in the white plastics bag.  It is not surprising that residents so often have a suck-it-and-see approach to what can be 'recycled'.  Only the people who pick up are contractors and presumably not the people who have agreed the plastics contract so it is an approach that is wasted on them.How do you fancy raising the issue with LBE to see if you can get a definitive answer on whether they are recycled if you put them in.  Or are they incinerated or landfilled? Or if three people asked we could see if we get two answers the same!

Philippa Bond ● 5828d