Known for its celebrated historical landmarks, city walls and a variety of cultural activities, York is a very popular destination in England. Amongst its Viking heritage and ancient buildings, York is also home to charities and projects with noble missions to help those in need. A particularly popular initiative is Foil for Snappy.
Created by Karen Nash in December 2012, Foil for Snappy recycles drink cans and other aluminium packaging to help raise funds for The Snappy Trust. The Snappy Trust, formerly known as S.N.A.P.P.Y. (Special Needs Activities and Play Provision for York), is a registered charity that supports children and young people across York with wide-ranging disabilities.
Now operating over 50 collection points across York, the Foil for Snappy project has grown significantly over the years. These collection points are hosted in a wide range of locations across the city, including supermarket car parks, community buildings, local businesses and universities. Karen collects drink cans, foil and household cables for recycling and the material is sold to L. Clancey & Sons – an aluminium recycling centre based on the outskirts of the city.
In February 2019, Karen was awarded an Every Can Counts Green Can award in recognition of her hard work and dedication to the initiative. We recently paid Karen a visit to catch-up on Foil for Snappy’s latest achievements and future plans. Welcomed with a smile and warm chocolate cupcakes, we spoke with Karen about how everything started and how she joined forces with Every Can Counts to grow the initiative.
We also had the opportunity to speak with Anne Stamp, Service Manager at The Snappy Trust, who spoke about the positive impact Karen’s relentless work has had on both the charity and the local community.
The Glasshouse is a social space in the heart of the University of York where drink cans are collected for recycling in support of The Snappy Trust. Daniel Stringer, Manager of The Glasshouse, told us how the venue started to collect and recycle cans for Karen.
Every Can Counts has supported Foil for Snappy by providing can collection bins, posters and digital graphics for use on social media channels. The Every Can Counts collection bins help people recycle their drink cans more easily when they are out and about. If you would like to find out more about how Every Can Counts can support businesses and organisations in your local area, please get in touch by emailing everycancounts@alupro.org.uk or call the team on 01527 597757.