Llangollen mum's crisp packet recycling drive

A woman who helped her town to go "plastic free" plans to wage war on crisp packets next.

Mair Davies persuaded pubs, restaurants and cafes in Llangollen, Denbighshire, to switch to cardboard straws and offer free water refills last year.

She now wants to ensure used crisp bags do not go to landfill - after the empty foil packets finally became recyclable.

She has collected about 800 packets so far, with local businesses and schools getting involved.

The mother-of-one, 40, said she was inspired to take action after Walkers announced a recycling scheme.

The UK's largest snack firm struck a deal with recycling firm TerraCycle, following a high profile campaign by Geraint Ashcroft from Pontypridd.

Ms Davies said: "Lots of people in Wales are already successfully recycling, but crisp packets aren't collected at the kerbside.

"As well as it being wasteful, the trouble with crisp packets is that they are quite light and get moved by rain and wind easily before ending up in our rivers and seas."

She has since set up eight collection points in the town where people can take their used packets - regardless of the brand - which are then sent off to TerraCycle when 2kg (4.4lb) of packets is collected.

The Friends of the Earth member added: "I've collected probably around 800 packets, which are kept in my shed.

"I've been pleased with the response. Last year everyone here embraced the Ditch the Straw campaign and now we're just asking people to collect a few of their crisp packets at home."

Sheena Grindley, secretary of the RAFA Club in Llangollen, said the decision to set up a collection point was easy.

"We sell crisps, so we should have the responsibility of recycling the crisp packets," she said.

"We had 100 packets in the collection box on the bar in less than a week."

TerraCycle now has collection points at locations across Wales, but it will also send a courier to collect them free of charge if you have at least 400 packets to send.