Wiltshire residents are raising much needed money for local charities and voluntary groups by recycling their newspapers and magazines in a new paper bank scheme set up jointly by Perrys Recycling and the Community Foundation for Wiltshire and Swindon.

The scheme started in Wiltshire at Sainsburys in Melksham in February last year and there are now 20 Perrys paper banks across the county.

Morrisons in Devizes joined the scheme in October last year. Residents can now use the smart blue paper bank to recycle newspapers, magazines, junk mail and telephone books.

Perrys Recycling is providing and maintaining the paper banks and 100per cent of all papers collected are recycled with £10 for every tonne being donated to the Community Foundation for Wiltshire and Swindon.

The scheme is expanding gradually and raising thousands of pounds for the charity.

The paper banks are provided free to site owners and the service operates independently with no cost to taxpayers. The paper is collected, baled and recycled for newspapers.

Betty Newman from the Devizes Opportunity Centre said: “We are very appreciative of the support from The Community Foundation for Wiltshire and Swindon.

"In these very challenging financial times, charitable funding is becoming increasingly hard to source and the foundation provides an invaluable source of information of potential funding opportunities for our charity.

"The foundation does brilliant work in raising awareness for the charitable sector and it is wonderful that Perrys Recycling has chosen to help the foundation with its aims.”

Rosemary Macdonald, chief executive of the Community Foundation for Wiltshire and Swindon, said: “We are delighted that Perrys Recycling has chosen to work in partnership with us. The campaign encourages people to recycle and enables them to support local people by raising valuable funds for the charity.

"It is a great example of what can be achieved for our communities by working together.”

Perrys Recycling is a family-run recycling company based in Somerset. It provides recycling and waste services to businesses, councils and government departments across the South West.