Let's Talk: WASTE
Grange Methodist Church, 27th September 2022
A gathering of 30 people to talk about all things waste related to discuss: What do we think is waste and what can we do about it? What can we start or do locally to make a difference?
Short presentations, shared ideas and vibrant conversation about plastic in the environment, water & sewage, community recycling, composting, repair cafes ... join in, take part, get involved.
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SPEAKERS:
- Steve Richardson - how energy is connect to waste, our need to care deeply and use wisely
- Jeni McConnell - the impact of plastic, why we should care and raising local wastewater/sewage issues
- Jacqui Twigge - Passionate local litter picker with a powerful poetic message and appropriate outfit
- Karen Bentley-Brown - Kendal Repair Cafe: Simply Repair
- Judith Bradshaw - Cumbria County Council waste management services and how they connect to our communities
Each speaker was asked to talk for 10 minutes. We had brown paper tablecloths to write thoughts, comments, ideas from the presentations and group conversations. Steve very kindly documented the information here as a great reminder for future discussions, below.
Linzi from St Mary's Hospice shop brought spare bags in for people to gather their offerings for the charity shop to use to raise funds - and more importantly get us to re-use stuff to save it from landfill.
The event was organised as part of Great Big Green Week by Jeni McConnell and Barbara Berry, supported by PEAT (Peninsula Environmental Action Together) and The Community Hub At The Vic.
- - - - - - - - -Food Waste
Food cooperative e,g, [sumar] delivery to an area each month or ask fletchers to get in from [sumar]
better coordinated food deliveries from supermarkets locals can organise or pressure supermarkets
grow your own fruit and veg
always baking
grow your own fruit and veg
less meat as it was expensive, a treat
grandad had a noose in the cellar for removing the heads and feet of chickens
grandparents never wasted food, leftovers were repurposed
never left anything on the plate
no food wasted cut mould off cheeses
love food hate waste
food planning frequently
batch cooking and freeze
community food shares and cooking
one pot and slow cookers
Ate what they needed
Soups and stews, chutneys, and jams
chickens
anaerobic digesters
Could we have household food waste collected alongside everything else
money recycled to buy seeds and plant to go to community growing, feed schools and vulnerable people
food clubs, glut club for garden produce
ration book
Compost
share compost heaps
ten thousand compost bins
compost
Textiles
make their own clothes, darning and cobbling
textiles stop buying clothes
swaps and swishes, quality style not fast fashion
knitting, reuse wool made clothes, rag rugs, quilts
textiles, which are more energy efficient to mend, natural or man-made?
patchwork
knit, unravel, and reknit
make your clothes
darn socks
leather elbow patches
water use for manufacturing also textiles look at Aral sea and cotton
nappies (cost of washing, drying, NHS contact
clothes swap
ban disposable nappies
Clothing repair, pass on, charity shop, avoid buying knew
Dad’s pants for dusters
Plastics, Paper and Packaging
Buy items loose packaging costs us and the earth
burn plastics recover CO2? e.g. greenhouses next to incinerators
should we put soft plastic in the bin in the coop or in household waste
shopping bags paper
shops could have a sign to say you can bring your own containers, bags, or supply paper bags
ban tetra packs
municipal water fountains
what’s a good way to reuse magazine (especially glossy magazines)?
swap shop event for books, magazines, puzzles
Glass
bottle return scheme
milkman delivered
bottle return scheme
back in the day 10pdeposit for pop bottles so they were reused
Energy
tin bath
my grandma only had one frying pan and cooked on fire
I had a mangle and a dolly
tin bath once a week shared water
insulate
check and save energy fridge 5 degrees freezer -18 degrees
are there no effective filters for incinerators?
working with daylight
Repair
my grandma fixed everything and seldom threw things away
always repaired make do and mend
grandma fixed everything
things were made to be mended, now built-in obsolescence
collecting and repairing toys
library of tools, men in sheds
make do and mend
set up shops attached to repair café
things lasted longer like electricals
planned obsolescence
make do and mend
peninsular repair café@gmail.com
Litter
more bins and triage bin/dog poo in public places
keep Britain tidy
tv campaign to keep Britain tidy
more dog poo bins
Campaigning
Advertising we're sold didn't buy greenwashing
Ethical consumer to find out where to buy
no tv showing adverts
advocate, signposting
very local leaflet with neighbours, what three things can we do locally
media campaigns
Social justice
Sharing and Working Together
Facebook marketplace
freegle
freegle events cumbria cc
library of things
directory of local places to take things
gumtree, freegle marketplace
donate unwanted items to charity, e.g. St Mary’s Hospice
library of toys
join other organisations
discuss with family friends contacts
craft [destach] event for our creative community
what can we do together?
Waste Treatment
What happens to the stuff not recused
how much of our separated waste recycled and reused in the UK
waste by volume not weight would look different.
W&F recycling clarity complex
tip stuff recycled like triage
Why isn’t there the same things recycled in every area
Miscellaneous
convenience take what you want and then pay for it?
What can we do?
we are working harder to recycle more
make use of unsaleable items
see Gathered by Rankin Flookburgh Arga