If you’re a crisp eater, then three local organisations would love to take your empty crisp packets this December and upcycle them.

Farnham Maltings, Hale Community Centre and Waitrose are taking part in the Crisp Packet Project, making warm blankets from recycled crisp packets, and working with Transform Housing & Support to get the blankets to young people at risk, including unaccompanied asylum seekers. We are partnering with Crisp Packet Project CIC to deliver this in the Farnham area.

How does this work?

The silver foil side of the crisp packet reflects heat back towards the body, similar to the silver sheets given to marathon runners. The way the packets are fused together makes them supple yet strong. We use plastic which would have gone to landfill to fuse the packets together. The majority of materials being used in this project are recycled, with the exception of where health and safety requires a new item.

Who will be making the packets into blankets?

Farnham Maltings and Hale Community Centre have recently started running Craft Cafes, for those interested in meeting new people and sharing a love of craft. The groups will be repurposing their craft and quilting skills to tackle this challenge.

The Farnham Craft Cafés are closed groups, but if you’d like more information about them, please contact Erin erin.beesley@farnhammaltings.com

What can I donate?

Please donate empty packets of: Walkers, Skips, Wotsits, Doritos, Hula Hoops, Pom Bears, Monster Munch, and Space Raiders. The best crisp packets are those that are fairly soft and thin.

Please do not donate: Kettle, Sensations, Tyrrells, Pipers, and Lentil Curls. Thicker packets and those with paint or that are dark in colour are much harder to work with.

In order to donate them, we ask if you could cut the packet down two sides, so that the crisp packet opens up in a landscape way, and then to please wash the packet, removing any last crumbs. How do you wash a crisp packet? You can either wash them in warm soapy water or place them cut in your dishwasher, and towel dry or hang out to dry.

We are looking to collect 250 crisp packets initially. Please help us reach this goal!

How and when can I donate?

At each location a member of staff will be able to direct you to the donation box. We are taking donations between Mon 29 November and Sun 05 December at three locations:

Foyer, Farnham Maltings, Bridge Square, Farnham GU9 7QR

Hale Community Centre, 130 Upper Hale Rd, Farnham GU9 0JH

Exit area of shop, Waitrose Farnham, The Hart, Farnham, Surrey, GU9 7HD

These blankets, when well made, last a long time, and are very well received by those needing them. We will be making as many as we can in the new year to pass onto Transform Housing & Support who will be handing the completed blankets out to young people who are vulnerable and at risk.

We would like to thank the Crisp Packet Project CIC for creating the initial concept, generously sharing the method and idea with us, and their continued support. More information on the Crisp Packet Project, which spans the UK, and their other initiatives to upcycle crisps into survival kits can be read, here.