Together with our partners Recycling Clothes Company we were thrilled to recently receive the news that our bra recycling scheme has been recognised by the National Recycling Awards who have shortlisted us for their 2021 Social Value Initiative Award!
For over 10 years Against Breast Cancer’s bra recycling scheme has been providing a new home for the nation’s unwanted and unloved bras. Through our network of over 500 bra banks across the UK, countless thousands of women of all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life have been binning their bras to raise vital funds in support of our life saving breast cancer research. ITV’s Lorraine show even got involved for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in 2014 and had such a fantastic response, they repeated their appeal the following year!
Following the announcement of the first lockdown in early 2020. The closure of shops, offices and workplaces meant our ability to raise funds by recycling bras halted overnight.
Not too long afterwards and possibly as a result of the ‘stay at home’ message, women in greater numbers than ever turned to the internet to research what to do with those ‘hard to recycle’ items in their homes. Bras often found themselves at the top of the list and search engines did the rest!
Helen Moye has collected 10,000 for charity. Picture by Mark Westley
As donations began to increase we noticed the Royal Mail using larger vans to make their daily deliveries, only later we discovered it was all down to the numbers of bras being posted to us for recycling! The Post Office even had to change their routes to manage the sheer number of bras being shipped!
We would like to thank everyone who supported this vital scheme at such a challenging time. From supporters who made (and continue to make) vital donations, to the delivery staff who handled and delivered them and our volunteers who unpacked well over a quarter of a million of them! A special mention too, to our partners Recycling Clothes Company for managing to recycle each and every one of these donations.
The awards presentation will take place this December. we’ll certainly be keeping our fingers crossed and hope to update supporters closer to the time.