From Plastic to Protector
I started as a bottle, a hard plastic shell, a home for water, sitting on a shelf and waiting and waiting.
One day I was picked up by a lady with lovely warm hands and cosy bag, my new home for a while.
I was lucky, my owner did not just throw me away after a single use, she saw all of my potential.
One day I was picked up by a lady with lovely warm hands and cosy bag, my new home for a while.
I was lucky, my owner did not just throw me away after a single use, she saw all of my potential.
Many more times I was filled and refilled until my label began to peel and I became worn,
But just because I couldn’t function as a bottle any longer didn’t mean my lifecycle was over ...
But just because I couldn’t function as a bottle any longer didn’t mean my lifecycle was over ...
In fact, it had just begun.
Rather than throwing me straight in that dark hole of a bin, my owner was conscious and loved Mother Earth.
She understood that I still had so much more to give,
She understood that I still had so much more to give,
She gave me a chance at a new life by giving me a bath, drying me up, and placing me in the inviting forest green of the recycling box.
I met a lot of other plastic in here, we talked for hours about all the new possibilities of what being recycled meant.
Some dreamed of becoming sturdy placemats, upon which delicious meals would sit in the warm glow of a family kitchen,
Some would turn into vibrant trainers, journeying all over the world, far from the shelves upon which we were once stacked,
Others into slides and swings in sunny playgrounds, the echoes of giggling children the soundtrack to their new lives.
Some would turn into vibrant trainers, journeying all over the world, far from the shelves upon which we were once stacked,
Others into slides and swings in sunny playgrounds, the echoes of giggling children the soundtrack to their new lives.
As for me, I was lucky enough to be turned into long yards of colourful yarn,
Dreamed up as a design on paper and
Dreamed up as a design on paper and
finally spun into the shape of a beautiful Töastie raincoat.
Now I keep a child warm, and barely even think about my days as a bottle.
I watch my child play and learn about the earth and the bugs,
I protect them as they roll around in the mud and dirt,
I am hung up and cared for in the comfort of the family home.
I protect them as they roll around in the mud and dirt,
I am hung up and cared for in the comfort of the family home.
Soon I will be too small for my child,
But thanks to Toastie preloved,
I am the gift that will keep on giving,
But thanks to Toastie preloved,
I am the gift that will keep on giving,
The care that went into my production means that I will keep generations of children warm for years to come.
Far from my beginnings as a plastic bottle on a brightly lit shelf,
I now work hard in my role to make sure my children love and enjoy the outdoors.
We don’t let the elements hold us back.
We welcome the wind and the rain,
We welcome the wind and the rain,
After all, my very first friend was water.
~ Amelia Brayshaw