Zero Waste Week – Day 2

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I hope you’ve all got Zero Waste Week in your diary – it started yesterday.   Have a look at the website to get some great ideas for things to do and please add your ideas.

I am repeating what I did last year which was to rummage at the back of the cupboards, freezer and fridge to find all the “forgotten” about things that needed eating up.  I then used the internet and great sites like Love Food Hate Waste to find recipes to use up those items.

My challenge for today is that I’m away from home all day and evening.  I had breakfast at home, then made sandwiches for lunch – in a tupperware container and reused bottles to bring water with me.  But I haven’t planned ahead for dinner – so am going to be struggling to find something while I’m out and about, without any packaging that can’t be composted or recycled.  So the challenge is on later – any ideas gratefully received.

Zero Waste Week

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After the success of last year’s Zero Waste Week – it is being repeated this year…

When: 5th Sept – 11th Sept 2011

Theme: Recycling waste away from home

Suggestions: As long as you end up reducing your waste away from home in some way, you can choose anything you like such as:

  • Use your own travel mug rather than disposable plastic cups
  • Take home fruit peelings and cores to compost at home
  • Use your local ‘on the go’ recycling bins
  • If you’re eating out ask to take your leftovers home to reduce food waste
  • Avoiding straws, disposable cutlery etc when eating out

How to participate: Join in via one of these three ways:

WEB – Leave a comment on the website

FACEBOOK – Sign up for the facebook event and join its page

TWITTER – Use the twitter hashtag #nzww and folllow My Zero Waste.

Recycle Week – recycle at home and away

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As part of Recycle Week (20-26 June 2011) we were at the JogScotland 5km event in the Scottish Borders this week, making sure that people recycled their water bottles after the race (thanks to the Council and venue for providing facilities).  Events like these are great, but can result in a lot of plastic going to landfill unless organisers and participants ensure that recycling facilities are provided and used.  You can see from the photo (right) the amount of recycling picked up at one event (the Sonisphere festival) in only 24 hours.  So please remember to recycle your plastic bottles when you’re out at events such as these, and if you’re an organiser – we’d like to encourage you to lay on recyling facilities.

Aberdeen Primary Schools get Animated over Recycling

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This week I spent an entertaining evening at Torry Academy, Aberdeen learning about two primary schools; Tullos School and Walker Road School who had produced short animation films about  recycling.  Both the Aberdeen City Council  Waste Aware Team and the ‘Reading Bus’ had spent a considerable amount of time with P5/6s at the schools developing ideas and helping them learn about the importance of recycling.  Of course the pupils were enthralled at being able to make their own films and along with showing these they had set up displays on the production and  four pupils from each school gave a polished presentation on how they had actually achieved it.  The two films were called ‘White Bags Don’t Fill Themselves’ and ‘Please Recycle Glass’.  These can be viewed by going to http://www.readingbus.co.uk/drupal/recycling.  I’m sure the local recycling rates will be boosted with the enthusiasm shown by the pupils to spread the message that we all should be doing more to reduce our waste. 

 

Moffat CAN needs your vote

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Moffat CAN is a community-owned company and charity and it needs your vote on Wednesday 29th June to win £60,000 to expand its work creating jobs and environmental services as part of the Big Lottery/ITV Jubilee People’s Millions competition.

ITV won’t give them the phone number for voting until the day of the vote, when a short film about Moffat CAN will be shown. So please spread the word by telling everyone you know about the project, Tasty Waste, which will create jobs, start a gardenshare scheme and develop their aquaponics greenhouse and composting activities.

You can “like” Moffat CAN on Facebook and once you have liked them you get all the updates via Facebook including the all important phone number on the 29th.  Likewise, you can follow them on Twitter.

More information is available  on the Jubilee People’s Millions site,  and the Moffat CAN site.

Groups still wanted to run Zero Waste Volunteer Schemes

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Zero Waste Scotland has a network of volunteer groups across Scotland who provide information stands, give talks and provide advice on waste reduction issues. 

Unfortunately we still have some areas where we haven’t managed to find a group, and would welcome applications from; Organised community groups, registered charities, companies limited by guarantee or friendly societies who would like to apply to run a group. 

We would provide funding to recruit a part-time coordinator, who then recruits, trains and co-ordinates.

Groups are still required in Dundee City, Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, Shetland, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire.

Full information is available at www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/volunteer.

Spring clean those kitchen cupboards

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It’s time for Spring Cleaning, and I would urge you to include your kitchen cupboards in your clear out.  Have a rummage around and dig out those things at the back that are gathering dust. 

  • Check out what’s coming up to its ‘Use by date’ and find a recipe to use it up (www.wasteawarelovefood.org.uk is a great place to find recipes). 
  • Move things to the front if they need using up shortly.
  • Include the fridge and freezer in your rummaging.

A good kitchen spring clean can save you money (using up food rather than throwing it away) and makes you try new and interesting recipes (I found some dessicated coconut that needed using up and found a great curry recipe to use it that I’d never tried before).  Give it a try and let me know how you get on.