Hampshire crisp packets ending poverty
December 15, 2010 at 11:06 am
Despite government incentives designed to encourage the British public to recycle as much as they can, it can sometimes be difficult to stick to a strict recycling regime. However, one charity in Hampshire has provided locals with a real incentive that has seen enthusiasm for recycling receive a significant boost.
The Philippines Community Fund (PCF), who state their vision as being “to free every Filipino child and their family from the effects of poverty” and perform crucial roles with regards to the health and medical facilities available in the Philippines, has started to turn crisp packets into fashionable items such as handbags and jewellery. The PCF was set up partially in order to help combat the social problems faced by those forced to live in squatter camps set up around giant waste dumps in the Philippines.
The PCF get together regular shipments of recycled crisp packets and send them out from Southampton to their eventual destination, a factory set up by the charity that allows around 300 local people to transform the waste into a range of products suitable for sale. By allowing the parents of young children living in the sites deemed by the charity as needing long-term help to receive an income from the sale of the products, the need for the children to scavenge on the tips is eradicated.
The charity also works extremely hard to improve the literacy and general educational standards of adults in the communities in the hope that this will increase the standard of living for future generations too.
With approximately 30 crisp bags needed by the factory in the Philippines to make just one small purse, the need for the British public to throw themselves fully behind this latest initiative is clear. So, next time you’re considering taking the lazy option and chucking that empty bag of crisps in the litter bin, think again.
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