EXETER City FC fans can relax at the stadium before big games on benches made from recycled waste plastic – including old seats from the ground.

Exeter City Council Leader Phil Bialyk was shown the benches ahead of the club’s recent home game against Lincoln City.

The Leader spent time talking to Andy Holloway from #Cans4City and Matt Hulland, Resource Recovery Manager at Exeter City Council, about the new recycled benches made from waste plastic seats from the club, ocean plastics, and household plastics.

The benches were made in collaboration with Circular 11, from Bournemouth, who specialise in making products from waste.

Cllr Bialyk said: “This is an excellent initiative that cuts down on waste by recycling materials, and it’s great to think that waste plastics, including old seats from the stadium, have gone full circle and ended up back here as a great resource for fans to enjoy.”

Exeter City Football Club and Exeter City Council’s innovative recycling scheme, #Cans4City, has been recycling waste in partnership for many years.

In 2013, the scheme reached a major milestone of raising more than £10,000 for projects and initiatives run by both the football club and its partner charity, Exeter City Community Trust (ECCT).

#Cans4City encourages Exeter City fans to recycle used drink cans while raising money for charity.

Over the years, the #Cans4City team has collected more than 12.5 tonnes of aluminium packaging – equivalent to 700,000 cans – which has helped fund donations, including a football kit for refugee team Exeter United, a mental health awareness programme for the ECFC Academy, purchasing a defibrillator for the Cliff Hill training ground, and a number of improvements to St James Park.

Originally founded in 2005, #Cans4City was launched by Exeter City as a free way for its fans and the community to support and contribute to the club financially.