Amey employees have come up with an innovative way to support a local charity in Liverpool – by turning trash into cash.
The employees – who help Amey deliver street cleansing services on behalf of Liverpool City Council – have been raising funds from items which have been flytipped across the city.
Frank Bellis, Amey’s Street Cleansing Assistant Manager, came up with the idea of separating any scrap metal found during the team’s daily rounds collecting waste generated by fly-tipping on the streets of Liverpool.
By separating scrap metal found during daily waste collection rounds and weighing it in, the scheme has collected over 10 tons of scrap in the first six months, which not only contributes towards the city’s recycling rate but has also raised almost £1000 for Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice.
Frank said: “I came up with the idea after seeing how much scrap we were collecting which was just going to waste. Turing the scrap we collect in to cash for those less fortunate was a more practical and beneficial way of deposing of some of the waste which is generated by fly-tipping. We weigh the scrap we collect in weekly with local scrap merchants, who write the cheque directly out to our nominated charity - Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice.”
Cllr Joe Hanson, who represents Liverpool City Council’s Kirkdale ward, added: “I was pleased when I first heard of Frank’s idea and I am absolutely delighted at the level of commitment the Amey employees have given to this project. Frank is in the process of involving more of the Amey team based in Liverpool to put forward their own ideas of what charities they would like to support. From a city council prospective it is a win win, waste is removed off the streets, recycling rates increase and local charities get help and support. Congratulations to Frank and his team for a great idea and superb delivery.”
Carol Kirkham, Fundraising Manger, Zoe’s House Baby Hospice, said: “We cannot thank Frank Bellis and the employees of Amey enough for choosing our charity to be a beneficiary of this remarkable fundraising initiative.”
“It costs our charity in excess of £3,800 per day just to maintain our current level of care and we can only achieve this through the ongoing support we receive from corporate partners such as Amey who work tirelessly to keep the doors of our hospice open. “