Transition Lymington, New Forest Friends of the Earth, Pennington Action Group, Pennington Community Allotment and St Mark’s Church organise a ‘rethinking recycling’ event

LOCALS were urged to rethink how they recycle at a community event at St Mark’s Church Hall in Pennington.

People brought along bundles of unwanted goods including mobile phones, coat hangers, spectacles, and piles of aluminium in the hopes of giving the items a new lease of life.

The event was organised by Transition Lymington and the New Forest Friends of the Earth, alongside Pennington Action Group, Pennington Community Allotment and the church.

Organisers said the day was a testament to the community’s “dedication to sustainability and a greener future”, with 27 different types of products on show and labeled to explain the importance of recycling them.

Residents arrived in droves, bringing along thousands of pill packets, hundreds of coat hangers and heaps of aluminium, which were sold to bolster the coffers of Pennington Community Allotment.

Peacock Computers, of Lymington, took donated computers, printers, and cables to Jamie’s Computers in Southampton, a social enterprise that repurposes old technology for further use.

New Forest for Ukraine benefited from donations of candles and sleeping bags, while New Forest Aquaponics’ request for towels was also answered.

Some 120 pairs of spectacles were donated and will be sent to Lions International via the New Milton Lions.

Oxfam also received a “treasure trove” of foreign currency, CDs, and jewellery, while some 82 mobile phones were also donated.

Visitors to the event took home a ‘Where Next’ sheet listing future drop-off locations for donated items, including instructions on how to donate larger items locally.

After the event, Gill Hickman of New Forest Friends of the Earth and Transition Lymington, said: “A heartfelt thank you to Peacock Computers for managing the electronic influx, to Clockwork Yellow for embracing the coat hanger challenge; Rohan Lymington for superb support with ‘Gift your Gear’, Waitrose for championing the Fairtrade Big Brew and collecting corks and disposable vapes, Figures for giving old bike inner tubes a new ride, New Milton Lions for their visionary spectacle initiative, and Boots for addressing Lymington’s considerable pill packet recycling needs.”

Grace Hall, of New Forest Friends of the Earth and Transition Lymington added: “The event wasn’t just about recycling - it was a community celebration.”