WOMEN in Ipswich are being asked to show their support for an important issue, not by burning their bras but by returning them.As part of Recycle Now Week, Ipswich Borough Council is hoping to Triumph over the rest of the country by starting a Suffolk-wide bra recycling initiative.

WOMEN in Ipswich are being asked to show their support for an important issue, not by burning their bras but by returning them.

As part of Recycle Now Week, Ipswich Borough Council is hoping to Triumph over the rest of the country by starting a Suffolk-wide bra recycling initiative.

Recycling boxes were put in the female changing rooms at Crown Pools and other sports centres in the region, where they will remain for a month.

The cardboard boxes, which are bright pink and say 'bra recycling' on them, will then be collected and the money raised will be donated to the Macmillan charity. £1 for every kilo of bras will go to the charity which supports people with breast cancer and the bras will all be sent to West Africa to be reused and recycled.

Louise Gooch, Environment Portfolio-Holder at IBC, said: “The bra recycling campaign is part of a county-wide initiative and we welcome the opportunity to raise money for a good cause at the same time as recycling.”

Elsewhere in Ipswich, the council's Clean Neighbourhood Team joined Britannia Primary School to raise awareness of recycling and climate change issues.

As part of the campaign to encourage textile recycling, the school is hoping to earn money by collecting old shoes. The shoes will be collected by BCR Global Textiles Ltd who will sort them for suitability before being baled and exported to Africa. They will then be sold at affordable prices to local traders and craftsmen. All refurbishment work is done by local people, creating much needed employment and a valuable service.

Mrs Gooch said: “Ipswich is committed to improving our recycling rates still further and it is vital we get the message across. We enjoy working with schools as young people are keen to learn more about environmental issues and then to put that knowledge into practice.”