Making Good Use of the Things That They Find

I met the Wombles! Well not the furry TV kind, but their real life counterparts - and I don't mean actors in suits, I met a team of people who embody the spirit of Elizabeth Beresford's pioneering environmental warriors!

As part of the forthcoming Environmental feature in the Newbury Business News Morgan PR was given excellent directions to a remote corner of the Hampshire countryside, just south of Newbury, to meet Sam Paul, the man behind Newbury Reclaim.com, who have been likened to those furry Royalty of recycling.

“The Wombles! That is what people call us!’ laughs Sam Paul. “How does it go in the song? ‘Making good use of the things that we find, Things that the everyday folks leave behind’ That does describe us pretty well.

“Whether building materials from a demolition or a house clearance we will strive to recycle as much as possible. From stripping down a fridge to its component parts – or ‘dense media separation’ to give it the official title, through to posting furniture and bric-a-brac on eBay, Amazon or the local Freecycle site. We try to ensure nothing is wasted.

“We shift a lot on eBay – my ID is Samstuff779 – and normally we’ll start with a minimum bid and see where it goes. Sometimes things need to be posted a few times, but normally things find a home.

“We give a lot of stuff away too, to people in the community who can make use of the ‘things that the everyday folks leave behind’; like a modern day Robin Hood, collecting from the rich! Some people are getting rid of their furniture and other people have none – it is the right thing to do."

Sam and his team, pictured at the top of this entry, were a fun bunch with a clear sense of purpose and you get the feeling they are making a difference: just like those Wombles!