charity Archives

Plymouth Law firm sets New Benchmark in Sustainability

Latest News / By Emily Almond / 08/05/2024

GA Solicitors, a regional law firm headquartered in Plymouth, is taking recycling to a whole new level after having 80 of its plastic bins transformed into a weatherproof picnic bench to donate to a local nursery.

As part of a drive to increase staff recycling, individual waste bins were removed from under the desks of more than 80 staff. With the support of waste management experts, DCW Polymers Ltd, the 200-year-old law firm was able to have all of these recycled to make a piece of weatherproof and durable furniture.

The newly formed picnic bench is to be donated to Little Stars Nursery in Stonehouse, which was agreed upon through GA Solicitors’ partnership with Plymouth charity, Promoting Children in Plymouth (PCiP). This partnership has been in place for some 18 months, with GA Solicitors handing over a cheque worth £4,300 to PCiP in January.

This is not the first time GA Solicitors has provided support to Little Stars Nursery, having previously been involved in PCiP’s reading initiative, Tiny Tales, which aimed to foster enhanced reading skills among children in the city.

Kerry Bidewell, development manager at PCIP, commented “This is a fantastic story which we can all follow full cycle, from simple bins in a law firm to a fantastic and useful bench which will be used by children in an educational setting every day.

“This was a brilliant idea by GA Solicitors and shows what businesses can do when they think outside of the box. Not only have they saved a lot of plastic going to landfill, but they have also supported their local community and continued their relationship with PCiP.”

David Wallis, managing partner of GA Solicitors added: “At GA Solicitors we have been working hard to not only reduce our carbon footprint, but also have a positive impact on the local and wider community. We have planted more than 1400 trees worldwide, supported local pollinators through our partnership with Pollenize, and also updated all of our policies to be as eco-friendly as possible. When it came to removing so many plastic bins, we knew we couldn’t just discard them. DCW Polymers Ltd is a fantastic company and we could not have done this without them.

“We hope all the children and staff at Little Stars can make full use of the picnic bench and that it opens up their outdoor space for more activities and fun.”

This latest initiative by GA Solicitors follows a £4,300 donation to PCiP in January after finishing its time as the firm’s charity of the year. Full details can be found here.

GA Solicitors in Plymouth has selected Children’s Hospice Southwest as its charity of the year for 2024. You can find out more about them here: https://www.chsw.org.uk/

ENDS

27/02/2024

Notes to Editors

GA Solicitors can trace its roots back more than 200 years and has been advising the people and business in the South West for its duration. Originally based in Devonport, the firm gets its initials from Thomas Husband Gill who joined the practice in 1875 and later went into partnership with Albert E. Akaster.

Now one of the region’s leading law firms, the 93-strong team at the Lexcel-accredited LLP, has offices in both Plymouth and Bath. It is ranked in The Legal 500, Chambers UK and Chambers High Net Worth and is structured around eight practice areas, each comprising its own specialist department:

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South West recycling firm’s sustainable furniture heads to the Lake District

News / By Emily Almond / 11/12/2023

An Exeter based specialist plastics recycling and reprocessing plant has supplied 43 maintenance free sustainable benches to four of the National Trust’s Lake District camping sites. Made from 100% recycled waste plastic collected from UK businesses, DCW Polymers’ skilled joiners handmade the bespoke picnic benches.

Searching for a sustainable solution to outdoor furniture, the National Trust first approached DCW Polymers in late 2022 after hearing of the firm’s popular outdoor products range that gives plastic waste a new lease of life. The National Trust Holidays team in the Lake District chose the picnic bench from the catalogue of DCW products as suitable outdoor furniture for its campsites.

With a strong circular economy ethos, DCW Polymers’ recycled plastic furniture range aligns with the National Trust’s existing activities to reduce plastic waste. These include, offering visitors free drinking water which reduces waste from disposable water bottles, and promoting the use of reusable cups by giving visitors 25p off a hot drink when they bring their own cup.

Steph Hill, Head of Operational Delivery – Holidays Outdoors at the National Trust commented: “We’re pleased to have found a sustainable alternative to timber picnic benches at our Lake District campsites. Benches at our sites are popular with visitors who seek to enjoy our beautiful outdoor spaces, so it’s necessary for the Trust to source long-lasting benches that don’t require regular maintenance or replacement, such as traditional timber options.

“Choosing sustainable products is part of our core strategy to help fight against climate change, reduce carbon footprint and waste and help protect our environment.”

DCW Great Langdale national trust — DCW Polymers benches at Great Langdale National Trust site

DCW Polymers’ plastic furniture is maintenance-free and long-lasting. Completely weatherproof, the benches will not rot, splinter, or corrode or ever require painting or treating. Robust and hard-wearing, the furniture is well-suited to outdoor settings and is not easily vandalised.

The range, which also includes fencing, decking, dog agility and children’s play equipment, is all part of DCW Polymers’ mission towards a more circular economy. The process recycles waste plastic into new items, saving valuable resources and energy, keeping plastic waste away from landfill and protecting our fragile ecosystem. It also reduces the need for virgin plastic raw material to be made.

Simon Almond, Managing Director of DCW Polymers, commented: “We were delighted when the National Trust Holidays team approached us to handmake 43 picnic benches for its Lake District campsites. The team have worked extremely hard over the last few years to refine the manufacturing process, and many investments have been made to ensure a high-quality, attractive and durable product is produced from plastic waste.”

Simon continued: “Our plastic alternatives come with a 25-year guarantee and more importantly, keep plastic waste away from landfill.”

To find out more about DCW Polymers’ recycled outdoor products range, visit www.dcwpolymers.co.uk.

South West recycling firm’s sustainable furniture heads to the Lake District Read More »

‘Tis The Season to Recycle & Raise®!

News / By Emily Almond / 04/12/2023

Recycle & Raise® brought to you by DCW Polymers Ltd is back and better than ever for the 5th year! This year, it’s even more exciting as there’s the chance to win a free recycled plastic park bench worth over £400 for the organisation that collects the most tubs as a registered drop-off point!

Each tub is worth around 20p for the charities, so the more tubs we recycle, the more money the charities can receive. Please save your clean and empty plastic sweet tub and donate them to your nearest drop-off point by 15th February 2024! It’s not just sweets and chocolates tubs DCW Polymers is asking for either. Ice cream, biscuit and cracker tubs, milk bottle tops and takeaway containers can all be recycled as part of the Recycle & Raise campaign.

More drop-off locations will be available over the next few weeks but you can find your nearest drop-off location by viewing the interactive map on the website www.dcwpolymers.co.uk/recycle-raise. If your business, school or organisation would like to sign up as a drop-off point and be in with a chance of winning a Falmouth park bench, please email [email protected].

In February, we will weigh the tubs as we collect from each of our drop-off points. The drop-off point with the most tubs donated will win a free Falmouth Park Bench from the DCW Polymers sustainable furniture range!

The plastics that are donated to Recycle & Raise will be sent to the DCW Polymers’ recycling plant in Exeter, where they will be shredded into granules. The granules will then be used in manufacturing DCW Polymers’ recycled plastic furniture range, where 100% of the profits from the donated plastics will be donated to Dartmoor Zoological Society and Life Chance Trust. All plastic donations collected will be split 50/50 between the two charities.

Dartmoor Zoo is set in 33-acres of beautiful woodland just outside of Plymouth and undertakes vital conservation work to protect a variety of species. Life Chance Trust is an award-winning organisation based in Newton Abbot that provides young people who have experienced trauma with mentoring and life skills training to help them on the pathway to employment.

Since its launch in 2019, Recycle & Raise has raised over £14,000 for charity with DCW Polymers collecting over 7 tonnes of tubs!

DCW Polymers Business Support Manager, Emily Almond, said: “We are so pleased to be launching Recycle & Raise for the 5th year and are so excited to launch the competition alongside it. We have some amazing people involved who fill their homes with these tubs every year to help the charities with us, so it’s amazing to be able to give back to them by allowing them the chance to win a free bench too!

“We are so proud to have raised over £14,000 since we launched Recycle & Raise and hope that with the support from the public, we can raise even more this year. Please spread the word and save us your clean, empty tubs and tops and help us Recycle plastic and Raise money for charity.”

Empty and clean donations need to be taken to drop-off locations by Thursday 15th February 2024. If your business, school or organisation would like to become a drop-off point, please email [email protected] with your address and consent to be added to the map!

‘Tis The Season to Recycle & Raise®! Read More »

DCW Polymers raises over £3,000 for local charities through popular Recycle & Raise scheme

News / By Emily Almond / 25/09/2023

DCW Polymers, the South West’s only specialist plastics recycling and reprocessing plant, has raised £3,101.68 for local charities by recycling plastic tubs and bottle tops donated by the general public.

The funds, which have been split equally between Dartmoor Zoological Society and Life Chance Trust, were raised through DCW Polymers’ Recycle & Raise initiative. The appeal asked the general public to donate plastic tubs and bottle tops for recycling which DCW Polymers has shredded into granules.

The granules have been used in the manufacturing of DCW’s recycled plastic furniture range which has raised £1,550.84 each for Dartmoor Zoo and Life Chance Trust.

An incredible 158 businesses, schools and organisations across the South West volunteered as collection points for the tubs, bottle tops and takeaway containers, with a total of 1,643kg of tubs and 487kg of bottle tops donated in a bid to support the charities.

Hosted by DCW Polymers annually since 2019, the Recycle & Raise appeal has raised over £13,000 for charitable causes.

Simon Almond, Managing Director of DCW, said: “This might have been our fourth year of running our Recycle & Raise campaign, but the enthusiasm from the public never fails to make us smile. It’s fantastic that so many are willing to do what they can to help year after year. What better way to recycle plastics than by donating them to DCW and raising vital funds for local charities.

“These are two charities that do incredible work in the local community. Dartmoor Zoo are specialists in education and conservation of animals, while also supporting local people. The team at Life Chance Trust in Newton Abbot are working hard to help young people who have experienced trauma with mentoring and life skills training.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has donated to the scheme and the businesses who volunteered to act as drop-off points as without you, we couldn’t have raised these funds. Recycle & Raise will be back towards the end of 2023, and we hope to raise even more funds next year.”

Thanks to the enthusiasm of the public and the success of the appeal, DCW Polymers is now collecting plastic tubs and bottle tops all year round. The plastic donated throughout the year will be weighed and totalled in February 2024 along with the donations from the annual scheme.

Clean plastic tubs and bottle tops can be taken to the Recycle & Raise drop-off point outside Princesshay’s Bee Hive Information Centre, The Hive, located in Bampfylde Lane in Exeter. In addition, clean plastic tubs and bottle tops can be taken to DCW Polymers in Exeter.

For those who cannot easily access the permanent drop-off points, the Recycle & Raise seasonal appeal for plastic tubs and bottle tops will return in October 2023 and will run until February 2024. DCW Polymers encourages businesses from across Devon, Cornwall, and Somerset to sign-up, creating plenty of accessible drop-off points across the region. If your business would like to sign up as a drop-off point to help raise funds for DCW Polymers’ chosen charities, please email [email protected]

DCW Polymers raises over £3,000 for local charities through popular Recycle & Raise scheme Read More »

Recycle & Raise® is back

News / By DCW Polymers / 14/10/2022

Spooky season marks the return of confectionary tubs to the supermarkets, ready for shoppers to stock up on their favourite sweet treats. Now, leading South West waste plastics recycling and reprocessing plant, DCW Polymers, is asking us to donate the empty plastic tubs to raise vital funds for charity.

Marking its fourth year, Recycle & Raise® is hosted by Exeter-based DCW Polymers in an effort to keep plastic tubs away from landfill whilst raising money for good causes. The Zero to Landfill firm is once again asking the general public to donate plastic tubs for recycling to raise funds for Dartmoor Zoological Society and new for 2022, Life Chance Trust.

Last year, the campaign by the South West’s specialist plastic recycler raised over £5,500. Since its launch in 2019, Recycle & Raise has raised over £11,000 for charity with DCW Polymers collecting the equivalent of 135,000 tubs.

It’s not just sweets and chocolates tubs DCW Polymers is asking for either. Ice cream, biscuit and cracker tubs, milk bottle tops and takeaway containers can all be recycled as part of the Recycle & Raise campaign. The materials with a number five PP symbol on the container that are donated to Recycle & Raise will be sent to the DCW Polymers’ recycling plant in Exeter, where they will be shredded into granules. The granules will then be used in manufacturing DCW Polymers’ recycled plastic furniture range, where 100% of the profits will be donated to Dartmoor Zoological Society and Life Chance Trust. All plastic donations collected will be split 50/50 between the two charities.

More drop-off locations will be available over the next few weeks, but recyclers can start taking their empty tubs and bottle tops from November to the DCW Polymers Enviro Hub in Exeter, EX2 8NU, or the DCW Data Destruction centre in Plymouth, PL21 9UH. The Recycle & Raise drop-off point outside Princesshay’s Bee Hive Information Centre, The Hive, located in Bampfylde Lane in Exeter, is open all year for clean plastic tubs and bottle tops. You can find your nearest drop-off location by viewing the interactive map at https://www.dcw.co.uk/about/recycle-raise/. If your business, school or organisation would like to get involved, please email [email protected].

DCW Polymers Business Support Manager, Emily Almond, said: “Sweet tubs appear on the shelves earlier and earlier each year, which is why we have launched Recycle & Raise even earlier. We want to recycle as many plastic tubs as possible, whilst raising vital funds for charity.

“We are so proud to have raised over £11,000 since we launched Recycle & Raise and hope that with the support from the public, we can raise even more this year. By manufacturing the plastic granules into our recycled plastic furniture range, we can donate ten times the amount per tub than if we just sold the granules to the manufacturing industry. Please spread the word and save us your clean, empty tubs and tops and help us Recycle plastic and Raise money for charity.”

Empty and clean donations need to be taken to drop-off locations by Wednesday 15^th February 2023. If your business, school or organisation would like to become a drop-off point, please email [email protected].

Recycle & Raise® is back Read More »

DCW Polymers raises over £5,500 for local charities through popular Recycle & Raise scheme

News / By DCW Polymers / 25/04/2022

DCW Polymers, the South West’s only specialist plastics recycling and reprocessing plant, has raised £5,736.28 for local charities by recycling plastic tubs and bottle tops donated by the general public, an initiative known as Recycle & Raise.

The funds, which have been split equally between Dartmoor Zoological Park and mental health charity Mind, were raised through DCW Polymers’ Recycle & Raise initiative. The appeal asked the general public to donate plastic tubs and bottle tops for recycling which DCW Polymers has shredded into granules.

The granules have been used in manufacturing DCW Polymers’ recycled plastic furniture range which has raised approximately 8p per tub recycled for Dartmoor Zoo and Mind.

Over 85 businesses, schools and organisations across the South West volunteered as collection points for the tubs, bottle tops and takeaway containers, with the general public donating 1,925kg of tubs and 673kg of bottle tops in a bid to support the charities. The weight of the tubs equates to 64,166 tubs recycled through this year’s Recycle and Raise campaign.

Hosted by DCW Polymers annually since 2019, the Recycle & Raise appeal has raised over £11,000 for charitable causes.

DCW Polymers Managing Director, Simon Almond, said: “The enthusiasm from the public to help us raise as much money as we can for these charities this year has been incredible. So much so that we have experienced our most successful fundraising year yet, raising over £5,500 for Dartmoor Zoo and Mind.

“These are two charities that I am personally very passionate about. As a trustee of Dartmoor Zoo, I’m invested in the incredible conservation work the team do, and Mind is a charity that we were keen to support in light of the toll the pandemic has had on mental health and wellbeing.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has donated to the scheme as without you, we couldn’t have raised these vital funds for charity. Since 2019, we’ve smashed each of our targets every year and as the initiative grows, we hope to raise even more funds during next year’s campaign which will kick-off in October 2022.”

Thanks to the enthusiasm of the public and the success of the appeal, DCW Polymers is now collecting plastic tubs and bottle tops all year round. The funds raised from this will also go towards the annual Recycle & Raise scheme, giving DCW Polymers and the general public the opportunity to support local charities either side of Recycle & Raise season.

For those who cannot easily access the permanent drop-off points, the Recycle & Raise seasonal appeal for plastic tubs and bottle tops will return in November 2022 and will run until February 2023. DCW Polymers encourages businesses from across Devon and Cornwall to sign-up, creating plenty of accessible drop-off points across the region. If your business would like to sign up as a drop off point to help raise funds for DCW Polymers’ chosen charities, please email [email protected].

DCW Polymers raises over £5,500 for local charities through popular Recycle & Raise scheme Read More »

Recycle & Raise returns

Latest News / By DCW Polymers / 22/12/2021

Tubs of sweets adorn the shelves at this time of year, ready for us to stock up on our favourite festive treats. Now, we’re asking you to donate the empty plastic tubs – once the treats are gone – to raise vital funds for charity.

We host our Recycle & Raise appeal every year and once again, we are asking you to donate plastic tubs for recycling to raise funds for Dartmoor Zoo and Mind.

Last year, we raised over £4,000 for Dartmoor Zoo and Mind. Since its launch in 2019, Recycle & Raise has raised over £5,200 for charity with DCW Polymers collecting the equivalent of 65,000 tubs!

It’s not just confectionery tubs we’re asking for either. Ice cream, biscuit and cracker tubs, milk bottle tops and takeaway containers will all be collected as part of the Recycle & Raise campaign. The materials with a number five or PP symbol on the container that are donated to Recycle & Raise will be sent to the DCW Polymers’ recycling plant in Exeter, where they will be shredded into granules. The granules will then be used in manufacturing our recycled plastic furniture range, which will raise approximately 8p per tub for Dartmoor Zoo and Mind.

With an estimated 100 million tubs bought in the UK each year*, even if just 1% of the tubs in circulation get recycled, millions of pounds could be raised for charity.

Over 85 South West businesses have signed up to become Recycle & Raise drop-off points already this year, making it even easier for you to donate your tubs! You can find your nearest drop-off location by viewing our interactive map at www.dcw.co.uk/about/recycle-raise.

DCW Polymers Business Support Manager, Emily Almond, said: “We were shocked at the vast stacks of plastic tubs in the supermarkets at this time of year, and as a plastic recycling specialist we felt compelled to do what we can to keep the plastic out of landfill while raising vital funds for charity. We’ve received incredible support from local organisations and people collecting tubs in their offices.

“We are so proud to have raised over £5,000 in two years and hope that with the support of the public in donating their plastic tubs, we can raise even more this year. By manufacturing the plastic granules into our recycled plastic furniture, we can donate ten times the amount per tub than if we just sold the granules to the manufacturing industry, so we can raise even more for our charities! Please spread the word and save us your clean, empty tubs and tops and help us Recycle plastic and Raise money for charity.”

Donations need to be taken to drop-off locations by Monday 28^th February 2022. If your business, school or organisation would like to become a drop-off point, please email [email protected].

*Calculated by Tub2Pub/Nielsen

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Recycle & Raise fundraising announcement!

News / By DCW Polymers / 04/06/2021

Recycle & Raise 2020/21 fundraising success!

Having raised over £1,200 for Dartmoor Zoo in our first year of Recycle & Raise, we weren’t sure what to expect when lockdown 3.0 was announced in the middle of the 2020/21 collection…

However, our worries and fears can be forgotten, as we are so pleased and proud to announce that the 2020/21 collection has raised… *drumroll please*

£4,096.60!

This is a wonderful donation, being split 50/50 between Dartmoor Zoological Park and Mind! This money will make a huge difference for both charities.

Thank you to each and every one of the 100+ businesses, schools and organisations who have accepted donations on our behalf throughout November 2020 through to March 2021. From the amazing people who have had mountains of tubs stacked in their garages (and front rooms!), to the people who saved their tubs and donated in the wind & rain of winter, to those of you who shared the adverts with your friends – THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! We really couldn’t do it without you.

When we had this brainwave back in 2019, seeing stacks of tubs in the supermarkets and wondering if we could do something amazing with the plastic, we never expected to be here 18 months later having raised over £5,300 to date and counting!

We’re so pleased to let you know that Recycle & Raise is back – this time all year round! You can now donate your plastic bottle tops to any DCW Polymers depot throughout the year! You can find out more here: Recycle & Raise is back – all year round!

Of course, from the end of 2021, you will be able to donate your empty plastic tubs to a huge variety of drop-off points across the South West through our amazing collection partners. From November to February, over 100 local businesses join forces to accept your donations! Keep an eye out at the end of the year to see where you can take your confectionery tubs! If you’d like to sign up as a collection partner, just email [email protected]

Since 2019, Recycle & Raise has been running with the aim of recycling huge quantities of plastic and raise money for charity!

What happens to the tubs now?

Even more excitingly for this year, we are pleased to say that the PP and HDPE plastic from the tubs and bottle tops will go directly into our Polymers manufacturing centre, where we will use the plastic to make our NEW Recycled Plastic Furniture! We’re so proud that plastic collected in the South West will now be made into benches sold in the South West. Who knows – you may end up sitting on a bench made with tubs you once ate sweets from!

Recycle & Raise 2020/21 Charities

Dartmoor Zoological Park

Dartmoor Zoological Park is a unique zoo set in 33 acres of beautiful parkland on the outskirts of Plymouth. The Zoo’s CEO Benjamin Mee wrote a book about buying the zoo called We Bought A Zoo, which was later became the subject of a major Hollywood film starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johannson! The Zoo registered as a charity in 2014 which has strengthened it’s future and opened up new and exciting opportunities. DCW Polymers has worked closely with Dartmoor Zoo since our MD became a trustee of the charity, and we partnered with them for our 2019 Recycle & Raise campaign! With the Covid-19 restrictions affecting visitor numbers this year, Dartmoor Zoo need our help!

Mind

Mind is a mental health charity who provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. Covid-19 restrictions have affected everyone in different ways this year, it’s still very uncertain times which is why it is so important to shine the light on mental health and provide support to those who may be struggling.

Recycle & Raise fundraising announcement! Read More »

Recycle & Raise campaign for 2020 is launched!

Latest News / By DCW Polymers / 16/10/2020

DCW Polymers launches our Recycle & Raise campaign for 2020!

Last years’ Recycle & Raise campaign was hugely successful, we recycled over 15,000 tubs and reached over 250,000 people online! Having raised over £1,200 for Dartmoor Zoo last year, we have high hopes that this year will be even bigger and better!

While it has been a difficult decision as there are so many worthy charities that need support, our chosen charities for this year are Dartmoor Zoological Park and Mind – a mental health charity.

This year we can Recycle & Raise with even more materials, so please start washing and saving your containers for us!

What can we Recycle this year?

Confectionery tubs
Ice cream tubs
Cracker tubs
Milk bottle tops
Takeaway containers

Look for the number 5 or PP symbol on the container!

All materials donated to Recycle & Raise will be sent to our plastic reprocessing centre in Exeter, where we will shred the plastics and sell on to manufacturers in the UK, to use in place of virgin polymers. All profits raised will be donated to our two chosen charities, Dartmoor Zoo and Mind.

Shredded plastic containers — This is what the containers look like when they have been through the shredder!

Example of confectionery tubs that we can we recycle for the Recycle & Raise campaign

Recycle & Raise Drop Off Locations

We are looking for more partners for this years’ Recycle & Raise campaign to collect and store containers on our behalf. If you are willing to support us and collect on our behalf, please contact Emily Almond by emailing [email protected] to receive the marketing pack and be included on our list!

You can find your local drop-off point on our interactive map below! This will be updated as more collection partners join us.

Recycle & Raise 2020 Charities

Dartmoor Zoological Park

Mind

Recycle & Raise campaign for 2020 is launched! Read More »