Okehampton residents can recycle their confectionary tubs as part of Devon Contract Waste’s recycling scheme to raise money for Dartmoor Zoo and the Life Chance Trust.

Residents have until February 15 to hand over confectionary tubs, ice cream tubs, cracker tubs, milk bottle tops and takeaway containers at of the town’s three collection points, located at Fairplace Church, Okehampton Library and the Ockment Centre from where Devon Contract Waste will collect the donations to recycle into plastic benches. All profits will be split equally between the two chosen charities.

Fran Rickwood from Plastic Free Okehampton, said: ‘Members of Okehampton’s community are invited to participate in Devon Contract Waste’s Recycle and Raise scheme. From November until mid-February, you can leave your empty plastic confectionary and ice-cream tubs, plastic take-away containersand plastic milk bottle tops. Please ensure your plastic donations are clean. This year you can leave your suitable plastics at Fairplace Church, the Ockment Centre and the library. There is also a private collection point for families that attend St James C of E Primary School.’

Devon Contract Waste will only accept containers with the number five of PP symbol, so anyone wishing to donate is reminded to double check before handing over any recyclable plastic.

This will be the fourth year that the waste company has held the recycling scheme which has collected the equivalent of 135,000 tubs in the South West and raised a total of over £11,000 for Devon charities in the previous three years.

After the scheme closes in mid-February, Devon Contract Waste will conduct a full audit trail of the plastic in order to calculate how much has been donated.

The Life Chance Trust is a charitable organisation that provides mentoring and life skills training to young people who may have found it difficult to access traditional methods of training and education due to emotional, behavioural or educational problems.

Dartmoor Zoo is part of the Dartmoor Zoological Society and is situated on the outskirts of Plymouth. The zoo became a registered charity in 2014 and is responsible for a wide range of animals along with conservation, breeding and research projects.

The zoo is also the subject of the film ‘We Bought A Zoo’ which follows the experience of Benjamin Mee who bought the zoo after it fell into disrepair and was threatened with closure in 2006.