A woman from Reading has saved five million pieces of waste from landfill and incineration.

Ali Chaney, from Three Miles Cross, has collected Marigold gloves, sweet wrappers and beauty products over nine years which can’t be recycled by the council.

She sends to TerraCycle to be processed and turned into picnic tables, outdoor furniture, and lumber for use in construction.

“We’d love to raise even more for these causes, and so we encourage everyone to get involved and help us collect even more by saving their waste and taking it to one of our collection points across Reading and Wokingham,” said Ali.

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TerraCycle recycles hard-to-recycle waste, partnering with household name brands including Cathedral City, Hasbro and Philips to create free recycling solutions which are made available to members of the public to join and collect on behalf of their communities.

For each parcel of waste that Ali sends to TerraCycle for recycling, she receives points which can be redeemed as a monetary donation to the charities, schools and non-profits of her choice.

Ali has donated £50,000 to a number of charities including The Cowshed, Thames Valley Animal Welfare and BIBS (Babies in Buscot Support).

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“The organisations we donate to are so grateful for the money we raise, and it feels great to know that not only are we helping the environment by collecting this rubbish, but we’re also helping these brilliant causes at the same time,” said Ali.

One of the charities Ali raises money for, BIBS, or Babies in Buscot Support, focuses on the special care of babies and their families in the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Ali said “BIBS is a fantastic charity based in Berkshire which has been a tremendous support to me and my family in the past.

The money we donate is used to purchase state of the art equipment and smaller items such as baby clothes, as well as funding support units for families who may have to stay overnight or are going through a traumatic time.”