A NORTHWICH charity is once again urging the people of the town to donate their used crisp packets to be re-purposed to help the homeless.

After a successful two month long trial, Transition Northwich are continuing to collect the packets, which would otherwise end up in the bin, and donating them to a group in Macclesfield.

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Macclesfield Crisp Blankets take the foiled packets and turn them into 'bivvie bags' for rough sleepers, which can be used to keep clothes dry during the day and during the night, use them as insulated sleeping bag covers.

Paul Mathias, a member of Transition Northwich, said he thought it was a great way of not only tackling the increasing issue of waste, but also helping with one of society's most important social issues.

He said: "I know a lot of schools collect crisp and snack packets already.

"The attraction of this comes from having our grandchildren and seeing how our bin often gets full of these packets.

"It takes up a lot of bin space.

"This idea seems like a particularly good way of using them."

All foiled crisp packets are acceptable, except McCoys, which are seemingly too flimsy for the job.

Paul added: "The packets need to be slit down one side and then at the bottom, with any grease washed off in hot soapy water and kept flat.

"The Macclesfield group then use heat from an iron to join the packets together.

"Our involvement is trying to network and get things done around the climate change and ecological emergency.

"The beauty of this is that you're re-purposing stuff rather than binning it and it highlights the other aspect of the emergency, which is social justice and climate justice.

"So you're hitting two or three targets at the same time.

"Recycling is at the bottom of the waste hierarchy.

"Everybody thinks that they've got to recycle but it's not the best thing we can actually do."

As well as the crisp packets, the charity will also be collecting empty blister packets people might have from medical prescriptions, which will taken to the nearest Superdrug pharmacy for their recycling scheme.

The next collection of crisp packets will be in the Matalan carpark, right opposite the entrance to Cumberland car park and the Carey Park entrance.

The team will be on hand to take in your collections on Sunday, June 27 between 10am-12noon.