Name

Samantha Wilson

Location

Beaulieu Park, Chelmsford

What do you recycle?

We try to recycle as much as possible – tin cans, glass bottles, cardboard, paper (especially direct mail), and we’ve got a compost bin for all non-cooked food waste and garden waste. We also have brown waste bins for kerbside collection, and I recycle plastic bottles this way too.

How did you first get into recycling?

Well my family has always recycled, so it’s just been a way of life. We also try to be as organic as possible, so as soon as we got a garden we got a compost bin. The heavy clay soil we have is hard to work but we use our compost as a mulch every spring.

Tell us why you’re a Recycling Champion

I’m trying to source schools and colleges who can use yoghurt pots and margarine tubs etc for their art departments. They make great paint pots, and give plastics a second life.

Give us your top recycling tip

If you’ve got a compost heap, try growing rhubarb right next to it. We’ve found that the rhubarb takes all the nutrients from underneath the compost, and grows brilliantly. You don’t even have to force it!