Supporting Gloucester Foodbank during the cost of living crisis

Published
4,350 items of food will be donated to Gloucester Foodbank over the next 12 months to help them provide emergency food to those most in need.

At the beginning of April, Gloucester City Council awarded the city’s recycling broker contract to Plan B Management Solutions.

The contract is for the reselling of recyclable materials collected by the city council’s kerbside service. 

As part of the contract arrangement, Plan B Management Solutions are committed to supplying an equivalent number of items to Gloucester Foodbank each year to tally with Gloucester’s recycling rate.

Last year Gloucester residents recycled 43.5 percent of all waste produced in the city. Plan B will donate 4,350 items of food to Gloucester Foodbank within the next 12 months. 

The more waste residents recycle, the more food items will be donated to support those most in need.

The initiative supports the council’s ambition to boost recycling and reach 65 percent by 2035.

Cllr Richard Cook, Leader of Gloucester City Council, said: “We're delighted to be working with Plan B Management Solutions as well as helping to support Gloucester Foodbank. With the rising cost of living and donations to foodbanks going down recently, food item donations are needed now more than ever, so please do donate if you can afford to do so and by recycling as much as you can you will also be helping.

“I’d also like to thank residents for their continuing recycling efforts and helping to decrease black bin waste. We would encourage our residents to keep on recycling and improve the city’s recycle rate, as we think Gloucester can do even better!”

Maz Akhtar, Managing Director at Plan B Management Solutions, said: “We are pleased to be working with Gloucester City Council and continuing our ongoing commitment to support the local communities within the areas we operate. It is a privilege to be working with Gloucester Foodbank in addition to the other Foodbanks we support across the UK.”

Gloucester Foodbank is a project founded by local churches and community groups, working together towards stopping hunger in the city. Clients bring their voucher to the foodbank centre where it can be redeemed for three days’ emergency food. Volunteers meet clients over a warm drink or free hot meal and are able to signpost people to agencies able to help solve their longer-term problem.

For more information about Gloucester Foodbank; how to get involved, or how to get help, please visit https://gloucester.foodbank.org.uk.

A full list of recyclable materials, how they need to be sorted, and information on collection dates can be found on the council’s website.