Boy smashes new goal to recycle sweet tubs

A seven-year-old boy has surpassed his latest goal of collecting 5,000 empty confectionery tubs, which he says he wants to prevent from going to landfill, by gathering more than double that amount.

Teddy from Netley, Hampshire, has collected 11,233 tubs, smashing his previous haul of more than 2,500 collected over the 2024 festive period.

He said he was surprised and overjoyed when the new total was revealed on Sunday, as columns of tubs and their lids towered around him at The Fleming Arms Pub in Southampton.

Teddy thanked his supporters and said his ultimate goal was "to stop plastic pollution completely".

The youngster said he was "so proud", as he punched the air.

Teddy's mission began when he discovered plastic tubs containing confectionery, which are particularly popular during the Christmas period, could not be put in household recycling bins where he lives.

While some authorities in the UK are able to recycle these tubs via kerbside collection, currently Hampshire cannot.

Teddy earned the nickname "Sweet Tub Teddy" as he went about collecting tubs from people, taking them out of bins, asking locals to leave them on his doorstep and through support from some supermarkets.

His mum Laura said the family was "so proud that he's using his voice as a power of change".

"He set this goal, which we thought was unachievable - 5,000 - and now he's gone and absolutely smashed it, gone past what he ever could have imagined," she said.

Laura said Teddy's grandfather had spent five hours counting the tubs up on Friday and she hoped the companies that produce the tubs "listened to Teddy".

"One, it would save a lot of space in my house and a lot of ferrying around," she said.

"But two, the point that he's making is so valid ... is there an alternative that's better for the environment?"

Teddy's grandfather Tim said the response to the mission "has been absolutely amazing".

"As a granddad, I get quite emotional about it," he said. "I'm just so proud of Teddy and his mum."

Walking around the towers of tubs, Teddy said he "felt amazing".

He would "100%" do the challenge again, said Teddy, hinting his new goal might be 15,000.

"My ultimate goal is to stop plastic pollution completely," he said.

"I could probably save all of this from landfill, imagine what we can do next."

To the companies that make the tubs, he pleaded: "Please make all these tubs into cardboard".

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