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Useful Information


The Repair Shed is open for business
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on the last Saturday of the Month from 10.00a.m. - 12.00p.m.





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Statement from HCC regarding the recipients of their Waste Prevention Community Grant Fund

​🌎 Reducing waste and giving back to their communities – thank you to all those people making a difference across Hampshire 🏆

Fourteen fantastic local projects have secured a share of £37,000 from our Waste Prevention Community Grant Fund. Ranging from tool repair services, repair cafés, and community fridges to school composting lessons, these initiatives will be helping Hampshire residents cut their household waste and save money. 🛠️☕♻️

Run by dedicated groups, charities and schools, often volunteers, these projects aim to help residents to reduce their impact on the environment and to save money at a time when budgets are squeezed, by making the most of items, rather than throwing things in the bin. See the full list of 14 funded projects below:
👇 🪀Provision of a ‘swap service’ for games, books and puzzles, to be delivered by local charity Unity Online in Test Valley, Winchester and Eastleigh as part of its rural transport services
👨‍🍳Funding for the Parents Teacher Association at All Saints Primary School, Winchester for a ‘swap service’ for preloved cookware, and to fund a recipe book on reducing food waste
🏠 Provision of a ‘family Room’ offering information and services that reduce waste and help families attending Front Lawn Primary Academy in Havant
🧸A toy library in Droxford, Winchester run by Droxford Parish Council
👕 A clothes ‘swap service’ at Stroud School in Romsey for students, teachers and the wider school community
📚 A book and toy swap service for students and their families at St Patrick's Primary School in Farnborough
🧵 Funding for Westside Community Centre in Basingstoke to provide sewing machines to make quilts using recycled fabrics to be donated to ‘warm hubs’ to help people who need extra help
🛠 Provision of tool and knife sharpening equipment to expand the current Repair Café activities at Repair Café Gosport
🔧 A new Repair Café Winchester (pictured)
​🗜 Expansion of tool repair services offered by Yateley Men's Shed enabling the group to accept tool donations from households, and to provide toolkits for local tradespeople or for reuse overseas
🪑 Expansion of Makerspace, Gosport Make Gosport to include furniture repair and upcycling
🥫 A community fridge and community swap events at North Stoneham Community Group in Eastleigh
🧥 Clothing repair and upcycling warm clothing workshops to support ‘warm hubs’ by Making Space for Craft Ltd in Havant
🌱 Educational sessions and open days to help young people learn how to compost and learn about other waste prevention activities at Sir Harold Hillier Arboretum and Gardens in Romsey Since 2018, the County Council has awarded 100 grants from this environmental fund to support a range of small-scale projects that are making a big difference 🤝

https://www.hants.gov.uk/wasteandrecycling/smartliving/wastepreventiongrantfund

August 2023
Tub2Pub Scheme

If you haven't any use for your empty chocolate/sweet tubs, then why not consider taking them to the pub !!
Greene King is running ‘Tub2Pub’, a recycling campaign to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support and recycle plastics.
Greene King is running ‘Tub2Pub’, a recycling campaign to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support and recycle plastics.  From 1 January - 11 February 2024, it's pubs, restaurants, and hotels will accept your clean and empty:

Confectionery tubs
Biscuit tubs
Cracker tubs


In this area, The Luzborough and The Vine Inn are participating, but if you go to Find a Pub Near You | The Best Pubs for All Occasions (greeneking.co.uk)
then there is a whole list.

December 2023

Simpler recycling collections and tougher regulation to reform waste system

Reforms to household and business bin collections and a crackdown on unscrupulous waste carriers will boost recycling rates and protect the environment, the Government announced today.
A new, simpler common-sense approach to recycling means people across England will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school, putting an end to confusion over what can and can’t be recycled in different parts of the country.
Weekly collections of food waste will also be introduced for most households across England by 2026 – ending the threat of smelly waste waiting weeks for collection and cutting food waste heading to landfill. This will also stop a trend towards three- or four-weekly bin collections seen in some local authorities across the UK, particularly in Wales.
The government is proposing new exemptions to make sure that waste collectors will be able to collect dry recyclables together, in the same bin or bag, and collect organic waste together, to reduce the number of bins required. 
As previously confirmed by the Prime Minister, the new plans for simpler recycling will make sure that households will not need an excessive number of bins. The reforms will bring in a more convenient and practical system which prevents councils from being hit with extra complexity, while making sure all local authorities collect the required recyclable waste streams: glass; metal; plastic; paper and card; food waste; and garden waste.
This means manufacturers can design packaging and know it can be recycled across the nation, ensuring there is more recycled material in the products we buy and allowing the UK recycling industry to grow.
The plans will help ensure that households benefit from frequent and comprehensive rubbish and recycling collections wherever they live across England, with the new weekly food waste collections and the proposal to include in guidance an expectation that residual rubbish is collected at least fortnightly, helping avoid long waits for smelly waste to be removed. Government will also work with local authorities to assess the collection of residual waste more frequently, especially in urban areas.  

The plans will apply to all homes in England, including flats. Similar measures will apply to non-household municipal premises, including businesses, hospitals, schools and universities.
In addition to these measures, the Government will continue to drive forward efforts to make waste collections simpler across the country by launching a four-week consultation on expanding the definition of non-household municipal premises – so that places of worship, prisons, charity shops and residential hostels could also be covered by the rules. 
These plans will be supported by a major new effort to clamp down on untrustworthy waste operators and ensure that our waste ends up where it’s supposed to be. This includes increasing background checks for firms who move or trade waste, to make it harder for rogue operators to find work and easier for regulators to act against criminals. Plans to overhaul the current system for tracking how waste is handled will also improve the way data is currently collected, strengthening regulators’ abilities to detect waste crime through a new system for digital waste tracking which will record information from the point it is produced to the point it is disposed of – giving them the evidence they need to hold criminals to account.
Today’s package builds on wider efforts to increase recycling and reduce waste. New restrictions on single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, expanded and extruded polystyrene food and drinks containers came into force on 1 October in order to reduce plastic pollution and keep streets clean. We are also moving forward with the implementation of our Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers and our Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for packaging to boost recycling and clamp down on plastic pollution and litter.  
We have already introduced a ban on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products, restrictions on the supply of single-use plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds, and our world-leading Plastic Packaging Tax last year. 
Meanwhile, our single-use plastic carrier bag charge has successfully cut sales by over 97% in the main supermarkets.
Press Release on 21 October 2023.  Further information/comments can be found at: 
Simpler recycling collections and tougher regulation to reform waste system - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)


Concerned about the environmental impacts of nappies?
 
Single-use disposable nappies make up around 6% of the average rubbish bin in Hampshire home. By switching to reusables, residents can reduce how much waste is in their bin.
A new scheme has been started in Hampshire by HCC through their 'Smart Living' department with discounted real nappies available.


Visit https://www.hants.gov.uk/reusable-nappies to validate your address and reveal your 15% discount code!
 
September 2022
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Rat-Proof Composting

Anyone who has had the unpleasant surprise of finding rats in their composter, will be interested to know that Transition Southampton have been running a project to design a rat-proof composter.

The project has been running for a couple of years now, and the results have been 100% successful. There are two designs, one is a 'collar' to add to your existing bin and the other is a rat-proof bin.  The collar design works with any standard "dalek bin", making it rat proof - which has the added bonus of enabling you to compost whatever you like (including all types of cooked food).  A great way to reduce waste and make some lovely compost for your flowers and veg!

They are selling them at cost price.  Check out their website for more information:
https://transitionsouthampton.org/rat-proof-composting/

July 2021

Local Initiatives to reduce waste in 2020

Christmas Cards
Christmas Cards can be taken to Romsey Abbey (leave at the Bookshop) or Marie Curie Cancer Shop -where volunteers are ready and waiting for them.  They will be made into labels to sell next Christmas.

Book Swap
Costa Coffee have introduced a bookcase in their Market Place premises, where customers can leave books they have no further use for and take another in exchange.

Football Swap Shop
Romsey Town Football Club have started a swap and second-hand virtual shop for unused and previously owned football kit and equipment.  The club has created a Facebook Selling and Buying page to ensure kit is reused once its been grown out of.


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RECYCLED RIBBON  

Berisfords (a major manufacturer of ribbon) have partnered with a leading European yarn supplier to develop a ribbon which is woven with yarns made from 100% used plastic bottles.  It is called 'Newlife Satin rPET 100% Recycled Ribbon'.  

​Collected via recycling points within mainland Europe, the bottles are thoroughly cleaned then broken down into smaller plastic elements before being melted back into a liquid form then converted into filaments, which are spun to create 100% recycled yarn. 100,000 metres of 25mm satin uses 12,000 plastic bottles.

The resulting yarns are certified by GRS which is the Global Recycled Standard and also by Oeko Tex which is the global industry standard for textiles.

​January 2020​


Glitter !

The issue of microplastics in glitter made news a couple of years ago, when a chain of children's nurseries banned its use.  Anyone who uses it (or receives anything decorated with it) will know that it gets everywhere,  However, it is a source of 'joy' to many, and craft workshops are a much duller place without it !  A couple of years ago, the main supplier of 'biodegradable' glitter was a company called 'Eco Glitter Fun'.  Two friends had set up the company as they enjoyed painting themselves with glitter to go to festivals, but wanted to be more 'responsible'.  Their company now sells over 50 different colours of glitter for both cosmetic and craft use.  Such is the success of eco-glitter that it is now available from most art suppliers and websites such as Amazon. 
Take a look at www.ecoglitterfun.com - you'll be amazed at how much there is to glitter !

​November 2019


Too Good to Go

Morrisons supermarket has teamed up with the food waste app 'Too Good to Go' to offer cut-price goods via an app service.

This is the first supermarket in the UK to sell goods beyond its 'best before' date.  Shoppers can use the app to buy fruit & veg, bakery and deli items worth £10 for £3.09.  You are not able to choose what is in the box, and will only find out when you collect from your local store.  The idea was successful trialled and has now been rolled out across all its stores.  Customers are asked to download the free app and browse local stores with food available, then select a local store from which to purchase and collect items at a reduced rate.  Payments are made via the App.

The company expects the project to distribute 350,000 food boxes in 2020, which, it claims, will reduce Co2 emissions by 882 tonnes - the equivalent of driving from London to Edinburgh 5,351 times !

'Too Good to Go' was launched in 2016 and works with food businesses such as Yo! and Caffe Nero to distribute unsold products. 

November 2019


Earth Picks - Guitar Picks made from Recycled Plastic

One of the stalls at the 2019 Romsey's Beggar's Fair was a company selling guitar picks made from recycled plastic.  As with many such companies, the owner had not been able to find such a product and so manufactured his own ! 
I had hoped to be able to visit the stall to buy some for guitar-playing relatives, but was unable to get there.  So, I went straight on the website and ordered some whilst I could remember what the company was called.  Having put my order in, I was somewhat bemused when later that day I found a package had been delivered to my house and inside were the picks.  I went back on the website and after scouring every page, I found that the company was based in Winchester Road, Romsey - less than a mile from my house !!  It made sense, that it was a local firm at the Beggar's Fair, but it had never occurred to me that it would be that local.
So if you have any family/friends who play the guitar, why not buy them an 'Earth Pick' for Christmas - check out the ones made from old vinyl records !

https://www.onepickatatime.com/
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                                       **ALSO AVAILABLE IN HAYES MUSIC SHOP, ROMSEY **

​September 2019



Rob Hopkins' Podcast

Mattias Olsson recently interviewed Rob Hopkins in Totnes for a podcast about the Transition Movement, which will be released soon. Here's a short clip from the interview with details of how to find out more: https://www.facebook.com/266708933739635/videos/353018772052269/

Mattias Olsson campfire-stories.org 

Have you Heard about EcoBricks ?

There is currently a lot of discussion about Ecobricks and what can be made from them.  For more information, go to:
​
www.ecobricks.org/

Let us know if you hear of any local initiatives.

December 2018

Recycle Your Poppy 2019

You can take your Poppy to the Town Hall any time before 30 November and they will be taken to a local Sainsburys for you !

Did you know that you can recycle your Poppy?
​
Until 30 November, you can hand in your old Poppies at Sainsbury’s stores where they’ll be sent back to the warehouse in Aylesford. Returned Poppies are then dismantled – the button and stem are used again to make Poppies for next year’s Appeal, whilst the paper petal and leaf forms are recycled.


Potatoes lead the way in water-saving growing tech - Another first from Walkers ?

"Did you know that a potato is 75% water? Well if there's one company that does it's Walkers – one of the UK's most popular crisp producers.
They know only too well that the process of manufacturing crisps is water and energy intensive: from cleaning, cutting and slicing, through to baking – when much of the water from the potato is released into the atmosphere through a chimney stack.
That's why the owners of Walkers, PepsiCo, have been pioneering a new technology to capture some of the water that is lost in the crisp manufacturing process. “iCrop” allows for the direct and specific application of water throughout potato growing fields. It also means that water from the potato can be captured from steam and reused after a simple water treatment process.
Ultimately, potato growers hope to be able to use this water in the cleaning process. And gazing even further into the future, there's the potential for factories to be taken off the national water grid – boosting water supplies to the local economy and reducing energy and water bills for the company.
There are already real-world application for this saved water – the starchy water from the washing of potatoes could be used in anaerobic digesters. It's a move in the right direction for big agribusiness.  Find out how iCrop technology is reducing water wastage for UK potato growers – contributing to more environmentally friendly food production at   youtu.be/cE7B8dHZfz4

Love Food Hate Waste.


Mixed Plastic Recycling in Southampton

Having finally made it to Sainsburys at Lordshill last week to put my collected plastic packaging in the recycling bin there, I took this photo to show what could be put in there.
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However, I have just gone to Southampton City Council's website to check where the other bins are and found this...…………………..

Mixed plastics banks

The mixed plastics recycling banks will be removed in the near future.
You can still recycle your items in them. If a bank is full then please dispose of items in a general waste bin.
Due to unforeseen circumstances the company who empties them has no end market for the plastics that were recycled in this bank. We apologise for any inconvenience.

17 October 2018​



Walkers crisp packets recycling scheme announced
 Royal Mail intervened when people started posting empty crisp packets back to Walkers
Snack firm Walkers has announced a recycling scheme - after Royal Mail begged campaigners not to post empty crisp packets without envelopes.
From December, snack fans will be able to post used bags - in envelopes, for free - directly to a recycling company.  Campaigner Geraint Ashcroft, who launched the petition against Walkers, said it was "a great first step".  The company said it had been in talks about the scheme since the beginning of the year.  It will involve packets being turned into plastic items such as benches, watering cans and plant pots by recycling firm TerraCycle.
Mr Ashcroft, whose petition against the Leicester-based crisp maker has been signed by more than 330,000 people, said the announcement was "really exciting".  "I hope other snack companies get on board," he said.  "This is a great first step and makes all the work that's gone into the petition worthwhile." But the firm "still have a lot to do to meet their pledge of making their packaging fully recyclable, compostable or biodegradable [by 2025]", Mr Ashcroft added.
Campaign group 38 Degrees, which previously encouraged people to post their crisp packets back to the company, said it was "delighted" to hear about the scheme.  "It's proof that public pressure can shift big companies to do more to prevent waste," said executive director David Babbs.
"The public will be watching to make sure that the new recycling scheme isn't just a PR stunt," he added.

How will the scheme work?

Walkers described its partnership with TerraCycle as "the UK's first nationwide recycling scheme for crisp packets".
Any brand of crisp packets - not just Walkers - will be accepted.
  • People will be encouraged to drop off their packets at one of hundreds of "public access collection points" around the country
  • They can also put them in a box or envelope and post them to TerraCycle free of charge
  • The packets will be cleaned, shredded and turned into small pellets which will be converted into plastic items
The scheme is due to start in December.
Walkers' packets are made from a fusion of plastic and aluminium foil. Crisps are packaged like this by many manufacturers because of their high fat content, which means they can quickly go rancid when exposed to oxygen.
Walkers said its packets are technically recyclable, but until now they were not being separated or collected for recycling.
Ian Ellington, general manager of Walkers' owner PepsiCo UK, said: "We share people's concerns about the amount of plastic in our environment and are working on a number of both short and long-term solutions to reduce the impact of our packaging."
​
BBC, October 2018

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Want to keep up with the news about all things to do with Climate Change ?...…….

Then, you may want to consider subscribing to 'Carbon Brief' - for a daily or weekly round-up .  According to Anton Page: "It's easy to subscribe and contains loads of interesting stuff".

For more details, go to:
    ​www.carbonbrief.org/

​

Diesel Exhaust - whats the problem? Presentation from our Drive Electric event

Please click below to see the presentation in PDF format:

deisal_exhaust_presentation.pdf
File Size: 1847 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File



YOU CAN NOW RECYCLE COFFEE CUPS IN TEST VALLEY 

From 1 January 2018, TVBC carton banks will also be able to collect plastic coated coffee cups for recycling – so get collecting !

​To find your nearest carton banks visit
www.recyclenow.com/local-recycling
​

Christmas Card Recycling


Wednesday, 20 December 2017
Recycle Christmas cards at Sainsbury's to support FSC UK© Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's will make a donation to FSC UK based on the volume of cards collected between 26 December and 8 January.
Sainsbury’s is providing an in-store Christmas card recycling service to support FSC UK to help protect the world’s forests.

Until 8 Jan 2018, customers can recycle their Christmas cards via an in-store collection point.

Sainsbury’s will recycle all collected Christmas cards and make a donation to FSC UK in the New Year. Last year, customers donated more than 98 tonnes of cards.

Old 'paper' Christmas wrap and defunct Christmas lights can also be recycled via the collection points.

Andover's​ ​Repair Café 
​

What do you do with a broken toaster, a skirt that needs a new zip or a hair dryer that’s on the blink? If your answer is bin it, then think again because Andover has started a monthly Repair Café.

​Every third Saturday of the Month
​F
rom 10am till 1.30pm
​Hosted by Andover Mind, at the Well-Being Centre in Westbrook Close, South Street, Andover.


Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/andoverrepaircafe/
 
The Repair Café has received support from VIVID (formerly Sentinel Housing Association) and The Saintbury Trust to help with start up costs and depends on the continuing generosity of volunteers who give their time to help out. Lisa Langman, volunteer co-ordinator at Andover Mind said “If you have a talent for fixing things and have time to spare some weekends, we’d love to hear from you. We need people with practical skills to act as fixers as well as front of house and refreshment helpers. This is an opportunity to be part of an exciting new event right from the start and we are hoping to recruit a team of about 20 volunteers over the coming months.”
If you would like to find out more, contact Lisa on 01264 332297 or [email protected]
 
Repair Café Foundation - ​www.repaircafe.org/en
The Repair Café concept started in the Netherlands in 2009 and was founded by Martine Postma, at the time an Amsterdam-based journalist/publicist. In 2010, she started the Repair Café Foundation. This foundation provides support to local groups around the world wishing to start their own Repair Café.
​

RECYCLING PLASTIC FILM

Carrier Bag Recycling Points can now be found at many supermarkets - including Romsey Waitrose.  As well as supermarket carrier bags, the following 
types of plastic film can be put in the recycling bin:

YES TO.....                                                                                                                                                 BUT NOT...

Plastic carrier bags                                                                                                                                  Cling film
​Plastic bread bags (shaken out)                                                                                                             Food & drink pouches
Plastic cereal bags e.g. porridge oats NOT inners from cereal packets                                           Crisp packets
​Plastic wrappers and ring joiners from multipacks of drink cans and bottles                                 Film lids from ready meals and food trays
​Plastic wrappers from toilet rolls and kitchen rolls                                                                             Any non-polyethylene film e.g. PP, PVC, others
Plastic used for wrapping newspapers and magazines for home delivery
​Thin supermarket fruit and vegetable bags
Bubblewrap

Look for the recycling sign on the plastic film to see if it is recyclable and remember, anything put for recycling should be 'CLEAN & LOOSE'. 



New Community Group - Romsey Cycle Hub

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A new community group has been created to share information and ideas
about cycling in Romsey.  Romsey Cycle Hub  is a spin off from
​Transition Town Romsey's input to the ongoing Romsey Futures Cycle Parking project.

MORE ...

Marine Conservation Society - Plastic Bottle campaign


The MCS are running a campaign to reduce plastic bottles and cans in the environment.  Please click on the following link

https://www.mcsuk.org/what_we_do/Clean+seas+and+beaches/Pollution+and+litter+problems/Deposit+return+system

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  • Home
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