RECOUP, a National Recycling Charity, has joined forces with Norfolk Waste Partnership with support from Marks & Spencer and RPC Group, to deliver a programme within Norfolk aimed at inspiring young people to recycle by demonstrating fashionable garments made from recycled plastic bottles.
The Fashion Design Challenge competition was set to schools and colleges around the Norfolk area, in April 2018, to design fashionable garments that could be made from polyester containing recycled PET bottles.
Nine finalists were then awarded textiles to make up their garments with the opportunity to showcase the designs at Fashion Shows held at the One Planet Norwich Festival on June 9th.
The Fashion Shows formed part of Recycle for Norfolk’s ‘Putting Recycled Plastic on the Catwalk!’ campaign, aimed at highlighting the many uses plastic can be put to when recycled.
David Baker, Industry Affairs Director, RPC Group, said: “We are delighted to be able to be involved with this project which highlights the versatility of plastics and the wide range of applications in which it can be used when it is recycled. Through recycling the consumer can give our industry the opportunity to reuse this valuable resource.”
Cllr John Fisher, The Chair of the Norfolk Waste Partnership, added “In Norfolk householders can recycle a wide variety of plastic packaging from within the home as long as it’s clean, dry and loose. In fact, the only parts of plastic packaging we don’t want for recycling are shrink wrap, bubble wrap and the absorbent layer or plastic film covers.”