Recycling scheme means trees for Malawi

RECYCLERS in Bucks can help to tackle the problem of de-forestation in Africa under a new scheme.

Buckinghamshire County Council has signed up to a programme which promises to grow a fruit tree in Malawi for every tonne of aluminium drinks cans and foil recycled over the next two years.

Recycling the products is also 20 times more efficient than making them from raw material, so this will save large amounts of energy while helping reach a target of growing 85,000 trees in rural Malawi.
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The initiative is being run by non-profit organisation Alupro in partnership with British charity Ripple Africa in a bid to tackle de-forestation, improve nutrition and, as crop volumes improve, establish new businesses for fruit drying and juicing.

Around half of the new trees - producing guava and paw paw fruits - will be grown from seed in 75 nurseries with the rest being produced in new greenhouses at the charity's base on Lake Malawi before being sold to individuals and small community businesses.

Councillor Martin Tett, cabinet member for strategic planning said: "By making sure we recycle every single aluminium drink can and clean foil container we can make this all happens. The great thing to remember is that the more aluminium cans and foil you recycle, the more fruit trees will be grown."