Sussex Green Living: Horsham volunteer honoured for outstanding contribution to recycling and sustainability
Joy Carter, one of the driving forces behind Sussex Green Living’s recycling operations, has been recognised with an Outstanding Contribution award at the recent Horsham Volunteer Awards.
The award was presented by Professor Jane Longmore, West Sussex Deputy Lieutenant, alongside Dr Tim Fooks, High Sheriff of West Sussex. The ceremony recognised Joy’s tireless leadership and innovation in tackling hard-to-recycle waste across Horsham District.
Since stepping up to lead Sussex Green Living’s Horsham Wombles team over seven years ago, Joy has built and led a growing network of more than 25 public drop-off points, located at churches, youth clubs, village markets, Repair Cafés, Sussex Green Hub and more. Under her leadership, the group now collects and sorts thousands of kilos of hard-to-recycle plastics, collaborating with TerraCycle® to access more company-sponsored collection schemes than any other group in the UK.
In 2024 alone, Sussex Green Living diverted over four tonnes of plastic from landfill or incineration thanks to the work of Joy and her volunteers. As Carrie Cort, CEO of Sussex Green Living, explains: “Joy is an unsung hero who quietly and constantly gets the job done. She has trained and encouraged a committed team of volunteers and if something can be recycled, she’ll find a way.”
Joy’s creative problem-solving goes beyond routine recycling. She has led projects turning specific waste streams into community benefits, from milk bottle tops raising funds for The Springboard Project to collecting plastics that earned William Penn Primary School new playground equipment.
During the event, Professor Longmore shared a personal anecdote about chatting with Joy over the challenge of recycling tennis balls, describing how she could see Joy's brain whirring as she immediately started working through possible solutions.
Sussex Green Living continues to expand its recycling efforts, recently adding new high-value plastic items to its collection schemes. Thanks to the dedication of Joy and her team, more local residents are now able to recycle items that would otherwise be difficult to process, helping to reduce waste and protect natural resources.
For more information about Sussex Green Living’s recycling initiatives, visit: https://www.sussexgreenliving.org.uk/single-use/