Once again this year Gaskells Waste Services has helped the people behind the world famous Manchester Duck Race ensure the 5,000 yellow plastic ducks are recycled. 15,000 spectators were on hand to see the ducks launched into the River Irwell on Good Friday for the tenth annual duck race, and we can reveal those ducks will be coming back as wheelie bins. Highly appropriate!
The event raises money for the children’s charity Brainwave and over the past ten years has raised £2 million. Concerns have been raised in the past about plastic pollution and the environmental impact of the event, but both we and Brainwave take our commitment to the environment very seriously. We work together closely to ensure all the plastic ducks are collected and recycled.
At the start of the race a series of nets are placed in the river to stop any ducks drifting downstream. After the event a recovery team take to their canoes for a considerable time to collect any stray ducks. All potential sightings of any ducks are taken very seriously and in the past organisers have even recovered ducks from other charity events.
Once collected, that’s where we come in. This week one of our trucks headed over to Manchester to collect them for the first stage of their recycling journey. Stage two is them being dropped off at Venture Polymers in Newton Le Willows to be processed. In the past the ducks have come back as buckets and supermarket pallets, and this year will be put into a plastic mix to be recycled into wheelie bins.
Commercial Director Denise said “We got involved with Brainwave four years ago when they got in touch saying they were looking for a waste management company to help them get rid of their ducks in a responsible way. We collect the ducks free of charge to make sure more money goes to the charity because the work Brainwave does for children with disabilities and their families is wonderful. As a company, we’re totally committed to the environment. We recycle and re-use as much as possible to reduce reliance on landfill, so are glad to have fitted the ‘bill’ so to speak. This year it’s very appropriate to learn they’ll be coming back as wheelie bins, and with the colour of them perfectly matching our lids, you never know, some of those ducks could soon be working for Gaskells!”