HUGS for Town Mayor

3 December 2012

Please note: this news article is in our archive. Articles were correct at time of publication, but should not be relied on for accuracy after the passage of time.

TOWN Mayor Liz Bennett and Cllr Nicola Burns have been honoured at the HUGS Pride of East Grinstead awards.

HUGS is a charity based in the Holtye Road which raises money by recycling computer ink cartridges.

Awards are given to local people who have gone beyond the call of duty to save lives, care for others, overcome life-threatening illnesses or help our young people to be the best they can, often whilst overcoming their own personal difficulties.

HUGS gives grants to other fund-raisers to help children, purchases specialist equipment for the disabled and gives young carers ‘special treats’ to thank them for all the hard work they do.

The charity also offers a 24/7 emotional support system for teenagers with drink/drug related problems, teen pregnancies and issues around sexuality – and can give parents a helping hand, a kind ear, or a HUG when they need it most.

  • Printer ink cartridges can be cleaned, refilled with ink and re-sold.
  • The components of any printer ink cartridges that are unsuitable or damaged are broken down and recycled, not sent to over-used landfill sites.
  • Members of the public can easily select a charity, school or club to receive a small amount of money for each cartridge that can be re-used.
  • A spokesman for HUGS said: “As our planet grows with population, so does the waste we produce, and so do the waste landfill sites. Our partners are committed to providing ethical recycling solutions for the public while giving charities, schools, clubs or individuals the opportunity to earn money in the process.”
  • Each year over 350 million cartridges are thrown out to landfills.
  • By 2012 500 million laser cartridges and 1.8 billion ink cartridges will have been dumped in landfills.
  • Each cartridge thrown into landfill can take up to 1000 years to decompose
  • For more information, including how to recycle cartridges or register a charity, see www.charityinks.co.uk