Co-operative Society to recycle poppies for Royal British Legion in a Channel Islands first

The Channel Islands Co-operative Society has launched an initiative to recycle poppies in Jersey to help raise further funds for the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal 2018.

This is the first time a recycling service has been provided for Islanders as part of the Poppy Appeal, which runs from October 28^thto November 11^th, with The Co-operative Society providing boxes at, or near, the customer service desks at Grand Marché St Helier, Grand Marché St Peter, Locale Grouville, Locale Charing Cross and Locale Colomberie.

The recycling boxes will be on display straight after this year’s Armistice Day on 12^thNovember 2018 and will remain until 30^thNovember 2018.

The poppies will be collected and then shipped to the UK where they will join a national recycling scheme that sees the poppies broken down into their component parts and either recycled or repurposed into new poppies for next year’s appeal. 

Local courier company, Transfer2000, will transport the poppies from the UK harbour to the Royal British Legion Village branch in Aylesford, Kent where the poppies will be sorted.

Mark Cox, Chief Operations Officer at The Channel Islands Co-operative Society, said: 

“We are proud to be involved in this scheme which is a first of its kind in the Channel Islands. The Channel Islands Co-operative Society are always looking for ways in which we can reduce our carbon footprint and this scheme is another example of our commitment to recycling and reducing plastic waste.”

Tim Daniels, Chairman of the Royal British Legion, Jersey branch, added: 

“Recycling the poppies is an important initiative for us. It not only allows us to raise further funds for the Poppy Appeal by keeping the production of poppy costs down, but it also shows that we are listening to Islanders and helping the environment in the battle against plastic waste. We are delighted that The Channel Islands Co-operative Society are supporting us with this recycling service and we encourage everyone to go to their stores to recycle their poppies after Armistice Day.”

The recycling service will also be available in Guernsey for the first time.