If you hand your crisp packets into a local pub the money raised from recycling will help fund a second charity air ambulance for Scotland. Walker’s Crisps have partnered with TerraCycle who find ways to recycle even the most difficult waste products.
The company says it is committed to reducing the impact of their packaging on the environment and they offer a free and simple solution. You can now recycle any brand of crisp packets – but not popcorn bags, crisp tubes, pretzel bags or meat snack bags.
The packets are cleaned and shredded to turn them into plastic pellets and they then become new park benches, plant pots, watering cans and cool bags.
But the other by-product is that money raised from the recycling funds charities, and in this case it is the Scottish Charity Air Ambulance (SCCA) Helimed79 which will benefit.
The Doo’cot Pub at 731 Ferry Road EH4 2UA are acting as a collection point.
Nick Harvey, Director of Fundraising and Communications at SCAA praised the “crispsforhelimed79” initiative and those who were throwing their weight behind it to help support the life-saving service.
The charity has been operating their critical response air ambulance (Helimed 76) out of Perth Airport since 2013 – responding to life-threatening illness or injury across the whole of Scotland. By spring 2020, SCAA will launch their second emergency response air ambulance helicopter (Helimed 79) based at Aberdeen – again flying help and hope to communities right across the country.
Mr Harvey said : “We’re really heartened and grateful to everyone at The Doo’cot for taking Helimed 79 to their hearts and working to help fund what will be a tremendous additional pre-hospital care resource for those in most need anywhere in Scotland,” he said.
“SCAA is the people’s helicopter and having the support of so many in the Edinburgh area is fantastic. This type of community support helps save lives and we can’t thank them enough for agreeing to act as a collection point for the campaign.”
Robert Pearson manager of The Doo’cot said : “We are delighted to support Helimed79 by acting as a collection point. I understand first hand how vital air assets are to Scottish Ambulance Service”
“Anyone can drop off their empty crisp packets to The Doo’cot or The Cramond Inn 7 days a week.”
Chair of the Scottish Ambulance Service, Tom Steele said earlier this year when it was announced the second Scottish Air Ambulance would be based in Aberdeen : “SCAA has been a very important partner since 2013 when they provided their first helicopter air ambulance, based in Perth. Since then it has flown almost 2000 emergency missions and undoubtedly has saved many lives across Scotland’s rural and remote areas.
“The second SCAA helicopter will be based in Aberdeen and like the Perth helicopter, its deployment will be integrated with our own emergency response air ambulance fleet. This will add very significant capability bringing fast medical care to very unwell patients as well as quick life-saving transport to hospital if required.
“We are very grateful to SCAA for their massive fund-raising effort and to the Scottish public for their generous support.”
The charity has to raise over £2 million a year to keep the rapid-response service in the air. Tasked through the 999 system, SCAA works alongside the Government-funded air ambulances to provide cover across the whole of Scotland and its islands.
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