Council backs can-for-a-tree scheme

2:28pm Sunday 18th November 2007

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DRINKS cans and aluminium foil will be turned into African fruit trees in a new scheme being backed by Bolton Council.

The initiative means that for every tonne of aluminium cans and foil recycled in the borough, a fruit tree will be grown in the African republic Malawi.

The two-year scheme is being run by the not-for profit Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (APRO) and British charity, Ripple Africa, which hopes to grow 85,000 trees. APRO will donate the cash needed to buy a trees for every one tonne landmark the council reaches.

Around half of the trees, such as guava and paw paw, will be grown from seed at 75 community nurseries.

The others will be orange, lemon, mango and avocado trees produced in new greenhouses at Ripple Africa's Lake Malawi base before being sold to individuals and community businesses.

The aim is to tackle deforestation, improve nutrition, and, as crop volumes improve, establish new businesses for fruit drying and juicing.

Backing the scheme, Cllr Elaine Sherrington, Bolton's executive member for cleaner, greener, safer, said: "Anything that encourages people to recycle while helping people in poorer nations can only be good.

"I want people to recycle everything they can and if that includes cans and foil, then great.

"I think this kind of initiative is good because there is an outcome for people to see, and I think that will particularly appeal to students, who we want to get involved in recycling."

The initiative is also being supported by environmental film-maker, Charlotte Uhlenbroek, who said: "This is a very exciting development for the area, tackling three of the main problems people face: poverty, nutrition and de-forestation.

"Growing high-value trees means that they will not be chopped down for firewood, which is a major cause of de-forestation, leading to poor soil, crop failure - and then more woodland cleared to grow food."

Recycling aluminium is 20 times more energy-efficient than making it from the raw material, bauxite. Cans and foil can should be placed in either green recycling boxes or burgundy bins.