A 19-year-old boy with autism has spent the past year collecting more than 1,000 plastic bottles to help save the planet.
The teenager spent hours trawling through rubbish to find the bottles that never made it to the recycling bank - and then travelled nine miles to make sure they landed in the correct place.
Jack, whose name has been changed, collected the bottles, and deposited them into Iceland plastic vending machines around the country - on a mission to also raise some pocket money for himself.
The Birmingham resident travelled nine miles to an Iceland store in Wolverhampton, where he could get 10p for every bottle recycled.
His journey involved three different buses to get there and three different buses to get back.
Ultimately, he wanted to buy himself a coffee machine which uses recyclable pods - and is environmentally friendly.
Jack, who recently finished college, first saw reverse vending machines in action while on holiday in Scandinavia with his family.
On returning to the UK, his family wrote on his behalf to Iceland, who'd just launched the UK's first supermarket vending machines.
They asked if it would be possible to have a machine closer to his home in the West Midlands.
"My son has autism and focusing on the environment has given him such a sense of focus. I’ve been so delighted that he is so committed to doing his bit for the environment, particularly in terms of reducing plastic pollution," his mum, Sarah, said.
"Returning hundreds of bottles for recycling has given him a real sense of fulfilment.
Last year, Iceland became the UK's first supermarket to launch monetary plastic vending machines in stores in support of the Government’s proposed Deposit Return Scheme in England.
The trial gives shoppers a 10p voucher for each plastic bottle they buy in an Iceland store and recycle in a machine.
And since May 2018, a total of 1million bottles have been scanned into the five machines installed in stores across the UK.
It's now placed a newer one in Merry Hill Shopping Centre, Birmingham, on the back of Jack's family's letter.
Richard Walker, at Iceland said "It’s inspiring to hear individual stories such as this, with members of the public feeling so motivated to support us in our efforts to tackle the problem of plastic head on.
"I’m hopeful that the reverse vending machine will bring some joy to a young environmentalist and encourage families in the community of Merry Hill to join him in his recycling efforts.”
Sarah added: "We are so grateful that Iceland has responded to his request for a machine closer to home so that he can continue to do his bit and inspire others in the community to join him."
