People looking to impact the lives of Ukrainian nationals fleeing the war in Ukraine, can donate a variety of in demand items via their local Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance recycling bank.
Together with its partners at Recycling Solutions Northwest Ltd, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance is collecting a variety of essential items which will be collected for the relief effort: Nappies, Baby Wipes, Vaseline, Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, Mouthwash, Bottled water, Soap, Shampoo, Shower gel, Bandages, Plasters, Toilet paper, Sanitary Towels and Baby Formula.
A spokesperson from Recycling Solutions Ltd said:
“Recycling Solutions Northwest Ltd has long term links with Ukraine, with much of the clothing collected and sold for our charity partners sent to Ukraine for onward sorting and selling. Our long-standing customers, the Ukrainian drivers we see weekly, their families and the whole country need assistance.”
Keith Wilson, Director of Marketing and Fundraising at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, said:
“Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance is in the business of helping people in desperate need, and I know many of us have felt powerless to do anything to support the thousands of Ukrainian refugees reaching Poland and elsewhere. We are delighted that through our partnership with Recycling Solutions the charity and our supporters can make a real and meaningful difference to the lives of Ukrainians who have been through so much pain and hardship in recent days.”
Members of the public wishing to donate items to this cause are asked to bag and mark them as such. However, the drivers will be able to separate and easily sort clothing and textiles from other items if this does not occur.
While there are several organizations in the UK who can help directly, local Polish and Ukrainian clubs are coordinating much of the relief effort, a number of these are struggling with storage space and are not equipped to deal with the volume of donations received nor the planning of a regular collection system. Recycling Solutions has the logistic skill and infrastructure in place to assist.
Extra collections are being arranged to cope with the expected demand in the short term but will continue if demand requires.
There will be no change to the clothing banks branding or solicitation statement. There is to be no financial gain from this operation and Recycling Solutions will absorb all costs involved for collection, storage, and onward distribution. They will not be accepting any cash or monetary donations either at the drop off points or the recycling banks.
People still wishing to make a recycling donation in support of Hampshire and Isle Wight Air Ambulance can do so by dropping a bag of unmarked bags containing clothes, bras, shoes, bags, belts and hats, sheets, towels, pillowcases and duvet cases (we cannot accept duvets) into the recycling bank.
For more information, visit https://www.hiowaa.org/get-involved/recycle/ or https://recyclingsolutions.org.uk/clothing-banks/
