Items Tagged With waste, most recent first
Freshen up your shoes with cat litter
Christine's Tip 19 - My story this week, sustainable developers, is about the practicality of wearing shoes. These days I feel the need to be thrifty yet I can also see the benefit of this in reducing my environmental impacts. Repair shoes..don't just go out and buy another pair just because the sole is worn or things are scuffed. This goes for you blokes as well.
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Communities to benefit from waste products
Schools, charities and community groups can apply for products and waste materials through the B&Q Waste Donate Scheme. B&Q operates this Scheme through all of its stores within the UK. B&Q donates products and waste materials they haven’t been able to sell for re-use such as slightly damaged tins of paint, off-cuts of timber, odd rolls of wallpaper and end-of-range materials. Donated products should benefit the local community and the environment and can not be resold.
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Junk the junk mail
I read somewhere that something like 20 billion catalogues are sent to our American cousins each year. According to Royal Mail, the UK's largest mail carrier, each year there are more than 4 billion pieces of unsolicited mail distributed throughout the UK. So lets stop getting them. Register with the Mailing Preference Service and banish the junk mail.
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Zero Waste Scotland
On January 22, 2010, the Scottish Government announced a new streamlined approach to delivery of the Zero Waste agenda, set out to tackle waste challenges in Scotland.
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Sustainability isn't just for Christmas
Christine's Weekly Tip 10, three more sleeps until Christmas – We all love Christmas and enjoy the festivities; it’s a time for families, friends and exchanging presents. I am no eco-warrior Christmas killjoy. But have you thought about how you can make your Christmas time more sustainable? Being more sustainable doesn’t mean you have to miss out on anything.
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INCREASE III ReUse Programme
Wrap Scotland has announced the launch of INCREASE III (ReUse), a new £800,000 grants scheme. This programme is part of the Scottish Government's Zero Waste Strategy, aimed at not-for-profit community sector organisations to improve the re-use infrastructure and capability across Scotland.
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Whatever floats your boat
We've all heard of earthships, which are houses built into the ground and usually made from recycled materials, but did you ever think of sailing in a catamaran built from plastic bottles?
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M&S and Sainsburys named greenest supermarkets
M&S and Sainsbury's have been named the greenest supermarkets in Britain. Both were awarded an A grade for the first time in biennial reports conducted by Customer Focus on supermarket sustainability.
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European waste reduction week
The European Week for Waste Reduction is taking place this year from the 21st to the 29th of November 2009. The week focuses on highlighting waste reduction activities across Europe and raising awareness of the waste hierarchy. Read More About European Waste Reduction Week...
Business Supports being restructured across the UK
Changes in the business support programmes for resource efficiency in England mean that there is a departure from funding and supporting individual companies.
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Food for Thought
Some local authorities are beginning to get their act together as far as food waste recycling is concerned. Mind you let's not produce it in the first place is the way to go.
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New Business Resource Efficiency Research
Just published by the Sustainable Development Research Network is a new report into business and resource efficiency in the UK.The report calls for more to be done to engage small and medium sized
enterprises (SMEs) with resource efficiency and suggests that
intermediary organisations, such as banks, need to promote the agenda
further.
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Zero Waste Plan consultation-updated article
The Scottish Government has opened a consultation on their draft Zero Waste Plan, which is due to be launched in 2010. Local government, businesses and individuals will all have a role in driving down the amount of wate we produce, so this consultation will be relevant to all.
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Delivering Zero Waste Scotland
This conference will be held on 6-7 October at the Glasgow Hilton Hotel, and will look at the challenge of meeting the tough targets set by the Scottish Government in its "zero waste" strategy, including increasing recycling to 70 percent and cutting municipal waste sent to landfill to five percent by 2025. Keynote speakers include Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead MSP, and Malcolm Ward , Chairman of the Environmental Services Association.
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The food we waste in Scotland
WRAP will be launching their latest report 'The Food We Waste in Scotland' on the morning of 3 September 2009 at the Royal Society of Edinburgh, with Cabinet Secretary for the Environment Richard Lochhead MSP as the keynote speaker.
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Wedding without Waste
We all know that weddings are expensive but how far would you go to cut the cost and keep it green?
The Daily Mail reports on one couple whose "waste free" wedding cost just £168.50.
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Biodiversity grants
WREN's UK-wide Biodiversity Action Fund is a £10m programme spread over 5 years to provide funding to enhance biodiversity by supporting the expansion, recovery and conservation of habitats that achieve Species Action Plan/Habitat Action Plan targets through specific improvements.
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It's Recycle Week
Last week saw the official opening of a new recycling facility at Bargeddie in North Lanarkshire, this week it's Recycle Week and time to think about increasing the amount of waste we each separate for recycling.
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Landfill Tax overhaul on the cards
Following the budget there are plans to overhaul the Landfill Tax, tightening some incovenient loopholes for the government and no doubt to increase the tax take.
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Food waste synergy workshop
The Business Environment Partnership quotes a figure that up to 70% of business waste going to landfill is food/catering waste, so there are big benefits to be gained in tackling this waste stream.
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Making a difference: Community furniture projects
Furniture reuse projects seem to have held their own in the current financial crisis although there is cause for concern as the potential donation levels may lower as people save cash and keep furniture rather than renewing it.
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Tune in for green jobs
If you are interested in jobs in the environmental sector or a career in greener business then tune in to 3tfm , a pioneering community radio station with jobs programme.
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Climate change time bomb
I bet you thought all that stuff to do with CFC's and fridges had been sorted...well it has. Unfortunately the 100,000 tonnes of the same stuff (500 million fridges worth) was largely forgotten about..a ticking time bomb for climate change.
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INCREASE III Capacity Strand
The Scottish Government has announced a new Capacity strand of the INCREASE III Programme. The INCREASE III programme (2008-2011) is a £7.5 million programme to support not-for-profit community based organisations to develop local solutions to increase tonnage diversion and waste prevention strategies.
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Those darned clock changes
Many question the need to change the clocks twice a year. Started in 1916, its original purpose was to save fuel and money.
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Support for recycling food waste
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has recently released a guide to help businesses recycle their food waste.
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Jobs in a greening economy
The concept of green jobs so abruptly dumped by the Scottish Government still finds a focus elsewhere in the world with a meeting of 20 nations in Italy. From leading thinking to also ran..yet again.
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Keep Your Neighbourhood Clean
Keep Scotland Beautiful is now looking for volunteers to take part in National Spring Clean 2009. If you hate the sight of litter spoiling your neighbourhood, parks and countryside join in and head out into the fresh air and make a difference.
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Over a decade of funding
For over a decade funding has been generated from waste and recycled back into community action.
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Make a green call this New Year
This Christmas tens of thousands of stockings across the country will have bulged with the very latest mobile phones. But what happens to the discarded models could have a huge impact on the environment. Philip Johnston managing director of Clydebank based mobile phone recyclers S3 Interactive Ltd thinks he has the answer.
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A Christmas Dilemma - Real or Artificial
It's a nightmare for even the greenest of greens. Christmas, a season
of indulgence. First decision is tree...real or artificial. It's more
complicated than you think. Good advice in The Guardian . Take a look.
National Industrial Symbiosis Programme - materials exchange
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Waste Aware Business - web advice
The Waste Aware Business site operated by Keep Scotland Beautiful is a website that contains a directory of where and what business can recycle in Scotland. It's Free.
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Springback Mattress Recycling, Fife
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Spruce Carpets, Glasgow
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The Bike Station, Edinburgh
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Bute Recycling Centre
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Aberdeen Creative Waste Exchange
The Creative Waste Exchange collects materials donated by local businesses and companies and after sorting and some preparation makes these materials available to the community as a good quality, low-cost resource.
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Ross-shire Waste Free Refuse Collection Vehicle
Ross-shire Waste Action Network Limited (RoWAN) was set up in 2001. It is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee. By raising awareness, offering support, involving local people and organisations and promoting good practice, it aims to improve waste management across the Ross-shire area. Previously RoWAN managed a pilot project which worked closely with 100 households monitoring their waste and aiming to encourage a reduction in the waste sent to landfill by reducing, reusing and recycling.
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Edinburgh Furniture Initiative
Edinburgh Furniture Initiative (EFI) is a Four Square project, established to provide free second hand items to people on low incomes. This project aimed to expand EFI services, allowing it to access materials from civic amenity sites and divert these materials either to EFI service users or on to other community reuse groups.
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North Lanarkshire Community Composting Partnership
The project proposal was to develop a new project - North Lanarkshire Community Composting Partnership - which would involve five community groups across North Lanarkshire in developing composting facilities appropriate to their own community.
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North East Master Composter Programme
In 2003, Aberdeen Forward introduced a Master Composter Programme into Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray Council areas. The Master Composter Programme, which was devised in the US, is designed to promote effective home composting, aiming to increase participation rates in composting and provide high quality environmental education.
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Recycling for Good - North Lanarkshire Household Recycling Pilot
BTCV set up a pilot scheme starting in March 2002 to carry out a fortnightly collection of dry household waste from 27,000 households in North Lanarkshire, including Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and neighbouring towns and villages. The scheme was promoted by North Lanarkshire Council and BTCV Scotland and created five new posts for local residents.
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Strathspey Waste Action Network
Overview
PROJECT SUMMARY
SWAN was started in 1998 by five local people who felt there was a lot that could be done about waste locally.
From the start home composting has been SWAN's main focus. Organic waste makes up around 25-50 % of household waste, and is a particularly polluting waste stream in landfill. Through home composting, organic waste can be dealt with at source and turned into a useful product simply and cheaply. SWAN initially set out to demonstrate that home composting was practicable in Highland through a programme to provide compost bins, raise awareness and provide the support and advice that local people needed.
The first phase, Adopt-A-Composter, started with a £3,000 grant and tested out various types of home composters to see which was the best for local conditions. Over 100 bins of 15 different types were provided to 82 households, eight businesses and five schools and they were supported by help and advice from a 'Compost Doctor'. By the end of the project over 72 households were composting at least 90% of their organic waste.
The second phase, Northern Cairngorms Composting Project, was funded principally through Highland Council Landfill Tax Credits. Taking the lessons learned from Adopt-a-Composter, composting bins and information about how to compost (and why) were distributed over a wider area, covering communities across Badenoch and Strathspey district. A part-time project officer was employed and 1263 compost bins of the type identified as most suitable in the first phase were bought. The bins were sold at a subsidised price (£5 each) to individuals, schools, businesses and organisations. All the money raised by selling bins was put back into the project. The first 1000 bins were distributed in 4 months. The amount of organic waste diverted from landfill was estimated through some participants weighing their waste and the potential diversion rate was assessed. This showed that over 2,200 tonnes of organic waste could potentially be diverted by households in Badenoch & Strathspey per year (0.3 tonnes/year/household), and that home composting is a realistic solution for much biodegradable waste.
The third phase, Northern Cairngorms Zero Biodegradable Waste Project, was also supported by Highland Council's Landfill Tax Credits. Through this project 11 Community Composting Agents are employed, covering every community in Badenoch and Strathspey district. The Composting Agents, working only a few hours each week, promote home composting within their community, provide a local access point for bins (another 600 were purchased for distribution), information and practical advice. Enthusiasm for composting is also generated through visits to schools and groups. SWAN's organic waste programme has been successful because five dedicated and committed individuals wanted to do something about waste, and believed other people wanted to do something too. Now approximately 1 in 7 households in Badenoch and Strathspey are involved in composting through SWAN's projects, diverting around 480 tonnes of waste annually from landfill.
The organisation will continue working to reduce waste. Tackling commercial organic waste, disposable nappies and plastic bags are just some of the issues SWAN is now targeting.
KEY PARTNERS
Key partners from outside the community included:
WHAM's Community Officer who provided advice and encouragement at the start, and an organisation to link into.
Councillors on Highland Council's Landfill Tax Committee.
Highland Council's Sustainability Officer.
Scottish Natural Heritage - involved in tree chipping.
British Trust Conservation Volunteers - involved in tree chipping. Their volunteers were given training.
Scottish Environmental Protection Agency - SWAN advised them on speakers for public meetings. SWAN also organised local consultation meetings for Local Waste Plan.
FUNDERS
Funding has been attracted from a number of sources over the years:
1998
£3,093 WHAM
1999/2000
£300 Cairngorms Partnership, RSPB, Badenoch & Strathspey Conservation Group (BSCG), Community Councils
2000/2001
£29,782 £25,000 from Highland Council Landfill Tax Credits
rest from Cairngorms Partnership; Moray, Badenoch & Strathspey Enterprise; Highland Council Local Agenda 21; RSPB; Community Councils and private donations.
2001/2002
£1,114 from Highland Council Network 21, SNH and Community Councils
2002/2003
£26,486 £25,000 from Highland Council Landfill Tax Credits. rest from Cairngorms Partnership; SNH; Community Councils; WHAM
Throughout, the main capital expenditure has been the purchase of the compost bins for distribution. For example, nearly 50% of the Landfill Tax Credit award from Highland Council in 2000 was spent on purchasing bins. Although these are sold, income does not fully cover their cost. Many of the compost bins are sold to participants for a subsidised price of £5. Some are given free to those who have difficulty buying them. The income generated in this way has enabled SWAN to buy more bins for distribution.
Revenue costs for all SWAN's projects are low as they do not maintain offices, and all work is done from the homes of the staff and management committee.
THEMATIC CRITERIA
Highland Recycling / Waste Reduction; facilitating organisation; Sustainable Communities
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North Lanarkshire Green Waste Trial
The North Lanarkshire Green Waste Trial was set up to promote home composting.
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