UK- London, Hackney - Give or Take III

On Saturday 8 July at Daubeney Primary School, the Hackney council recycling team will be holding the 3rd Give or Take Day for local Hackney residents.

Give or Take days are a community waste exchange event – an opportunity for residents to give unwanted items like furniture, bikes, toys, tools, books, kitchenware and bric-a-brac, and then take something they might like or need. As well as providing residents with the opportunity to give or take unwanted items, the event also helps reduce the amount of waste that builds up in Hackney.

I am aiming to get as many people to this event as possible so if you would like to send this post, please click below on the letter caption to "Email post" to friends or relatives. It will be a fun, activity-packed community based day.

Check previous goods from the 2nd Give or Take we held in Woodberry Down, N4.

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UK- London, Hackney - Be Recreative

Hackney council celebrated The Big Recycle 2006 at Hackney Council's BIG Recycle Day on Saturday 3rd June at London Fields Park. This year Hackney hosted a family fun day with the Reuse theme on mind, including mini reuse workshops, face painting, bouncy castle and stalls with participation from organisations including ecoACTIVE, Morph. In addition to these activities, the day also showcased artwork from children from four local schools- Hackney Free and Parochial, Mossbourne Community Academy, London Fields Primary and St John the Baptist Primary. This exhibition was the culmination of the BeReCreative project, which aimed to get children thinking creatively within the framework of "reduce and "reuse" by making use of materials that would have been discarded.

Two local artists have been working with two schools each to help design and create artowrks, useful household items, musical instruments or any other concept using recyclable materials. Prizes were awarded to all four schools. The best innovative work was based on sustainability, the amount of material used, aesthetics and functionality.

The weather on that saturday really helped and people created pledges and sticked them on 30 green boxes laid out in the field. These are some of the photos of the day:








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USA - Waste Free lunches

Lunches are known to create an incredible amount of waste, originated from packaging. The site Waste Free Lunch dedicated to this problem. Their data is based in USA statistics, however any developed countries will be able to use their information to apply similar projects, for schools or offices.

Most parents pack lunch items in single-use plastic bags, aluminum foil, or wax paper, or they purchase single-serving items that come in their own disposable package. Admittedly, these products are extremely convenient, but what is the environmental cost to a country that relies so heavily on them? Landfills are full and overflowing. Incinerators pump contaminants into the air.

Much of the trash we generate comes from the packaging on the food we buy, and lunch foods are no exception. In fact, it has been estimated that on average a school-age child using a disposable lunch generates 67 pounds (30kg) of waste per school year. That equates to 18,760 pounds (8,500 Kg) of lunch waste for just one average-size elementary school.

What can we do to reduce lunch waste? Start local! Start a waste-free lunch program at your school. Many schools across USA have begun to do so, and they're truly making a difference!

A waste-free lunch program is a process of educating students, parents, and school staff about where our trash ends up and how we, as individuals, can reduce the amount of trash we generate. Waste-free lunch programs favor the use of reusable food containers, drink containers, utensils, and napkins. They discourage the use of disposable packaging, such as prepackaged foods, plastic bags, juice boxes and pouches, paper napkins, and disposable utensils.

What does a waste-free lunch look like?

*With this type of lunch, lunch food items can be bought in larger quantities. The packaging can be left at home for reuse or recycling. Waste-free lunches are not only a wise environmental choice, but they are less expensive as well.


What does it cost to pack a waste-free lunch?

A Disposable Lunch, 1 egg salad sandwich, ($1.25), 1 yogurt (.85), 1 granola bar, (.45), 1 apple (.30), 1 package of carrots and dip (.65), 3 plastic bags (.12), 1 juice pouch (.35), 1 plastic spoon (.04), 1 paper napkin (.01)
TOTAL: $4.02

A Waste-free Lunch, 1 egg salad sandwich ($1.25), 1 serving of yogurt (.50), 1 serving of granola (.35), 1 apple (.30), 1 serving of carrots and dip (.25), water (0), cloth napkin (0), stainless steel spoon (0), packaging (0)
TOTAL: $2.65

723.60 - 477.00 = $246.60 savings per school year per kid

For more information and valuable literature go to www.wastefreelunches.org

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