Written by Emily Johnson, Graduate Property Manager completing her apprenticeship with Learning Curve Group.
It can take up to 80 years for a crisp packet to decompose in landfill, and it’s clear that as a nation crisps are a popular snack choice, with the UK consuming around 6 billion packets a year, which equates to an astonishing 16 million packets being thrown away a day.
It was reported that in Manchester alone in 2017 that 1 in 154 people were homeless, and this increased by 34% in 2019. In February 2019, the Guardian reported that Manchester experienced the highest number of deaths amongst the homeless in comparison to any other local authority.
There are several schemes now where crisp packets are being collected and ironed together to make blankets for the homeless, the silver lining acts as an additional insulating layer, so are a great addition to the inside of a sleeping bag as they help to retain the individuals body heat.
So far, I have managed to collect 720 crisp packets, the majority of which have been donated to me by my mum, who is now a teacher in the secondary school I attended and has managed to persuade her pupils and colleagues to hang onto these for me.
If you are a lover of crisps, then you’re in the right place, please make sure that the crisps packets are only opened at the top of the bag, and avoid making additional rips, if the bag is ripped down the side it makes it more challenging to incorporate it into the blanket.
The crisp packets need to be washed out prior to be ironed into a blanket, if you have time to do so that would be greatly appreciated, if not I am more than happy to add yours to my collection and can wash them alongside my own.
How you can help
It takes 150 crisp packets to make a whole blanket, so far, I have enough for 4.8 and would love to be able to make 10, if you have any spare packets please feel free to send them my way, please address these to: FAO Emily Johnson, 340 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 4LY. Any help or support would be greatly appreciated.
Emily Johnson is a Graduate Property Manager at Rendall & Rittner. She is completing her Housing & Property Management Apprenticeship with Learning Curve Group.
