Eurovision winners put 'Fizz' into recycling push

Two founder members of Eurovision Song Contest winners Buck's Fizz are to mark a charity's 50th anniversary by helping to reveal the results of its campaign to convert CDs into cash for good causes.

Cheryl Baker and Jay Aston, now performing with The Fizz, will be at Selby Abbey in November as part of Up for Yorkshire's celebrations.

The group will perform as Up for Yorkshire announces the sum raised by its Every Disc Makes a Difference campaign, set up to raise charity cash and stop tonnes of unwanted CDs and DVDs going to landfill.

Project manager Matt Fisher said: "This campaign is a brilliant way for people to recycle unwanted discs and make a real impact right here in North Yorkshire."

Fisher said Up for Yorkshire had declared a North Yorkshire-wide "amnesty" for unwanted discs, such as CDs, DVDs, DVRs and Blu-Rays.

Eric Petersen, a Dutch waste management expert and a supporter of Up for Yorkshire, has offered to cover the costs of taking the discs from North Yorkshire to the Netherlands where they will be recycled.

Collection points have been set up at various charity shops in Selby town centre, with each kilogram of discs expected to raise 50p for the campaign.

The target is to raise £50,000, to be spent locally, in time for the 50th anniversary celebrations.

Petersen, who runs a firm called Agricon, based near the Dutch city of Breda, said every disc diverted from incineration was "a win for the person who donated it, for the environment and for Up for Yorkshire".

Diverting the discs away from landfill or incineration reduced CO2 emissions, Petersen said, and also saved the energy needed for incineration.

He explained: "CDs and DVDs are made from a synthetic plastic called polycarbonate, which is a technical plastic that is strong and doesn't burn easily.

"A few months ago, I saw that Up for Yorkshire were celebrating their 50th anniversary and running this fundraiser.

"They asked if I would like to get involved and raise money for the fund, so I came up with a suggestion to create a win-win for everybody."

Fisher said the recycled discs were ground into pellets, from which they could be turned into a range of plastic products.

He added: "In the Netherlands, there are specialist recycling companies that break them down into their component products, turn them into pellets and then they get turned into all sorts of things.

"The example Eric gave us is that they're turned into plastic tealight holders."

Fisher said the idea to recycle the discs dated back to a 2024 campaign, called Our Zero Selby, which looked for everyday items that were "tricky" to recycle.

"CDs and DVDs came up, as there are so many of them in boxes, cupboards and shelves, and we're looking for thousands of them," he explained.

"By digging out every forgotten disc we can directly support local grassroots projects and help us celebrate 50 years of community action."

Fisher added that having The Fizz involved was "absolutely massive".

Bucks Fizz shot to fame when they secured a victory for the UK at the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with Making Your Mind Up.

"They're visiting to play at the abbey, so what an opportunity to announce how much we've raised," Fisher said.

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