Boy doubles goal to save sweet tubs from landfill
BBCA seven-year-old boy is on a mission to prevent 5,000 empty chocolate tubs from going to landfill.
Teddy from Netley, Hampshire, collected more than 2,500 of the plastic tubs over the 2024 festive period, after discovering they could not be put in household recycling bins.
Whilst some authorities in the UK are able to recycle these tubs via kerbside collection, currently Hampshire cannot.
Earning himself the nickname "Sweet Tub Teddy", he has doubled his goal for 2025 - and his mum Laura said their house was already filled with tubs from "floor to ceiling".
Last Christmas, Teddy amassed 2,598 tubs in a month by collecting them from people's houses, taking them out of bins and asking locals to leave them on his doorstep.
Originally part of Greene King's Tub2Pub charity appeal, some supermarkets have now also stepped in and opened collection points for Teddy.
"Five thousand is my mission this year and I've already started collecting," he said.
His mum Laura added they were being stored in their loft, their spare room and the boot of her car.
"They are absolutely everywhere - but we are more than happy to collect them to support Teddy's mission," she said.
The tubs collected in 2024 were turned into a purple bench by a recycling company, who gifted it to Teddy.
A plaque on the seat, which is currently in his primary school playground, reads: "With thanks to Teddy for your outstanding efforts contributing to Tub2Pub 2025 from Greene King, co-cre8, DCW Polymers and Macmillan Cancer Support."
In October, he was presented with a British Citizen Youth Award at the Palace of Westminster for "exceptional contribution to the community and being an inspiration to others".
Teddy has urged people not to bin their plastic tubs this year, and instead donate them to the recycling scheme.
"You're never too small and you're never too big to make a big difference," he added.
