Reporter: Stuart Littleford
A recent operation by Greater Manchester Police has seen tonnes of seized counterfeit clothing being recycled to help homeless people and low-income families in Manchester.
In the last 14 months the forces Operation Vulcan has seen the force raid counterfeit shops in the city, removing thousands of tonnes of counterfeit items from the streets and hitting the criminal’s pockets, who were once making millions of pounds of profits from this lucrative trade.
A top priority for Operation Vulcan was to minimise waste and make sure the counterfeit items police seized were put to better use. Working with a specialist company, almost 1,000 tonnes of counterfeit items have been repurposed or recycled; turning them into useful, safe products which the people of Greater Manchester and afar can benefit from.
For example, some of the hats, t shirts and gloves – which are made from safe materials – were debranded and given to charities and local community organisations.
Items that are unsuitable or unsafe are shredded to create totally new items such as bedding or blankets. Even the packaging and boxes that the items are sold in can be recycled into insulation for houses.
None of the counterfeit items that Operation Vulcan seize go to waste.
Last week, the team donated hundreds of items of clothes to a local charity called the Mustard Tree, which works to combat poverty, inequality, and homelessness in Manchester.
Inspector Dan Cullum, one of Operation Vulcan’s specialist officers, said: “The community and their needs are at the heart of Operation Vulcan and the fact that we have been able to repurpose and recycle everything and give it back to those in need really makes a difference.”
Harry Dwan from the Mustard Tree said: “This donation is gratefully received and will now be provided to those who need it most such as those sleeping on the streets, low-income families and those who are most vulnerable in the community. We can’t thank Tim and the Op Vulcan team enough.”
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