Old Street Sweeper Brushes Find New Life as Donkey Back Scratchers in Devon
By Animals Correspondent
A herd of donkeys in Devon are enjoying an unusual new addition to their paddocks after used street sweeper brushes were transformed into giant back scratchers.
The brushes, donated by East Devon District Council's StreetScene team, have found a second life at The Donkey Sanctuary's Donkey Assisted Activity centre in Sidmouth, where they have quickly become a favourite with the animals.
Normally, the large plastic-bristled brushes are discarded after several weeks of keeping East Devon's streets clean.
Instead, they were thoroughly cleaned and donated to the sanctuary, where they have been mounted for the donkeys to rub against and scratch hard-to-reach spots.
As well as helping keep the animals comfortable, the brushes aid the natural shedding process as the donkeys lose their thick winter coats during the warmer months.
With several brushes donated, staff have been able to install them at different heights, ensuring they can be used by donkeys of all sizes.
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Councillor Geoff Jung, East Devon District Council's Portfolio Holder for Environment – Operations, said the project was a simple but effective example of recycling in action.
He said: “This is a great example of reuse and recycling, supporting a local charity,” he said. “It's wonderful to see how the donkeys are benefitting from these old sweeper brushes, which would otherwise have gone to waste.”
The Donkey Assisted Activity centre uses its resident herd to support people from the local community through wellbeing and self-development sessions, helping participants build confidence and develop skills for dealing with challenging situations.
Sid Miller, Equine Assistant at the centre, said the donation had been warmly welcomed by both staff and donkeys.
“We are incredibly grateful to StreetScene for donating the brushes for our donkeys,” he said.
“It is lovely to see them already benefitting from this kind gesture, and it's great to know we're recycling items that would otherwise have ended up as waste. It's a double win.”
