Retailer’s recycle bins turn 3.5m pens into £34,000 for charity
As part of marking Recycle Week, Ryman has revealed its 190+ stores have recycled over 3.5million pens since joining the Writing Instruments Free Recycling Programme.
The stationery and greeting card retailer joined the scheme, sponsored by Bic as part of its sustainability programme with the programme logistics and recycling managed by TerraCycle, in 2019 allowing customers to bring in any type of pen for recycling.
The scheme benefits both the environment and charity as, for every kilo of pens collected and shipped to TerraCycle for recycling, Ryman earns TerraCycle points, which are redeemed as charity donations which the retailer shares equally between its charity partners Starlight Children’s Foundation UK, British Dyslexia Association and Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity.
And, with this year’s theme of Rescue Me focusing on rescuing recyclable items from heading to the rubbish bin, it works perfectly with Recycle Week, which is Recycle Now’s flagship annual event that’s now in its 21st year and runs through to Sunday, 20 October.
Theo Paphitis, owner and chairman of Ryman, said: “I’m very proud that Ryman has been able to do its bit and make a positive impact on such a major issue by recycling over 3.5million pens since 2019 in partnership with Bic and TerraCycle.
“Not only has this successful collaboration rescued the equivalent of 35tonnes of waste from landfills, but it has also raised over £34,000 for our charity partners in the process – a real win-win, and I know we’re not stopping there!”
TerraCycle CEO and founder Tom Szaky commented: “Many waste products, including writing instruments, are technically recyclable but are not recycled via municipal kerbside recycling due to the complexity and cost of recycling.
“Some people might think that a single pen is insignificant, but if you add up all the pens being used it adds up to a considerable volume. We are therefore delighted to collaborate with Ryman with their stores acting as a network of public access drop off locations across the UK for members of the public to be able to recycle their pens. To have saved over 3.5m pens from landfill and raised £34,000 for charity since 2019 is a real achievement!”
To celebrate UK Recycle Week 2024, Ryman is also offering customers a 10% discount on Bic pens (terms and conditions apply) when they recycle their old pens in-store up until Sunday.
