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Recycling is not a magic bullet

For a long time, the 4Rs: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle have been used to get us to “go green”.

But there are at least 7Rs:

Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Repurpose, Rot and Recycle.


Refuse:

Just say No. The best way to reduce the environmental impact of an object is not to create it in the first place. If we do not buy it then they will not produce it.

Reduce:

Buy only want you need. If you are not going to use it do not get it.

Reuse:

Were possible always get stuff that can be reused and reuse it.

Repair:

It an item is repaired then we do not need to get a new one and with do not have to dispose of it. A win win. The repair café movement is important.

Repurpose:

If we no longer need an item for its original purpose that can it be used in some other way and given a new lease of life. The in phrase for this is upcycle but that does not start with an R.

Rot:

When an item gets to the end of its life. If it is properly biodegradable, then we can give it to nature to recycle it. The emphasis is on properly biodegradable. See my earlier article “Is plastic ever really biodegradable?”.

There are two good ways to rot things, first as compost and the other is via biodigesters. Biodigesters have the advantage they produce carbon neutral energy. So if you have the choice, it’s probably better to send to a biodigester.

A not so good way to use Rot as a way of disposal is just to give it to nature to let it handle your waste.  If this is just throwing an apple core away during a walk this is probably OK.  But normally this is littering. But if the item littered is properly biodegradable then is will be less of problem as nature will eventually take care of it.

If you have the choice should you rot or recycle? This choice only applies, I think, to paper and cardboard. If it is good quality, then I think it will best recycled. But, if poor quality or contaminated with food then rot. 

Recycle:

The last on the list


Recycling is not a magic bullet

Many people think if they recycle then they have done their bit for saving the planet. But doing some recycling will not on its own stop the climate crisis. The climate crisis is caused by us putting green houses gases into the atmosphere. In general recycling does reduce the carbon footprint but not by much. There are many things you can do that will reduce your carbon footprint more than by recycling. But you should do them all. See my Climate Breakdown what I can do slides.

Recyclable is a word I hate. Making packaging recyclable will not solve the blue planet problem. The blue planet problem is a problem of littering. If all the plastic now in the oceans had been put in land fill or incinerated, it would not be in the oceans.

To put it simply:

Malvern Green Space are running Community Lunches, Pay what you can, if you can.

These are plant-based meals.

They use food that would otherwise end up being wasted.

These are every two week on the 2nd and 4th Friday of the mouth, 12 to 2pm. They are at United Reformed Church, Worcester Road, Malvern Link, Wr14 1SS.

Energy Tracers CIC
 with
Transition Malvern and Repair Café Malvern will have
50 FREE emergency DIY packs of materials 
aimed at improving the energy efficiency of windows, doors and lighting

Malvern Cube, Albert Rd North, WR142YF
Saturday 15th October at 10 a.m. 
  First come first served.

Also see how a full Energy Trace
of your home can find many other problems easily DIY fixed

Energy Tracers CIC with Transition Malvern and Repair Café Malvern will have 50 FREE emergency DIY packs of materials aimed at improving the energy efficiency of windows, doors and lighting

This will be happing at the Malvern Cube, Albert Rd North, WR142YF Saturday 15th October at 10 a.m.

First come first served.

Also see how a full Energy Trace of your home can find many other problems easily DIY fixed.

A Malvern Green Space Free Event

22nd January, 11am – 3pm United Reformed Church, Worcester Road, Malvern
Link.

Bring a bag of like-new or gently used clothes, toys, books, jewellery, ornaments or household goods that you no longer want and swap it for stuff you love. Nothing to bring? Just take. No furniture or electricals please. Donations go to Malvern Green Space eco-community centre project.

A peat bog
Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

I hope you have seen the campaigns to stop using peat. This post explains why these are very important.

A quote from a Guardian article how saving peatlands could help save the planet:

Unlike rainforests or coral reefs, peatlands have largely been ignored by researchers and policymakers, to the extent that we don’t even know where all of the world’s peatlands are.

To see how important it is for Britain I am using the excellent   CAT’s Zero carbon Britain report. In particular section 3.6.3 Capturing carbon. The following diagram show where we currently store carbon. This shows how important peatland is a and how much more is can store pre arce compare to woodland and other land use.

Peatlan can store many time more carbon than forest.

As Plantlife point out

A loss of only 5% of UK peatland carbon would be equal to the UK’s annual greenhouse gas emissions

IUCN UK Peatland Programme (2011), Commission of Inquiry on Peatlands: Summary of Findings, October 2011

So, to save the planet rather than planting a tree restore or create some peatlands.

You can plant a tree as well.

And STOP using Peat.

So, it you want Carbon Capture and Storage, create peatlands rather relying on untested technology to store C02 under the North Sea were it will probably leak.

Below is a message from Jan and Chris.


Dear RC Customer

We are holding a ‘live’ Repair Cafe session at Malvern Cube, Albert Road North, WR14 2YF from 10 am to 1 pm on Saturday 21 August.

To ensure your personal COVID safety and maintain distancing, we shall operate a much faster process to reduce your waiting time, keep repairs flowing through the system as smoothly and quickly as possible and avoid any bunching up or overcrowding. There will be six repairers, two sewers and tool and knife sharpening. Unfortunately, our clock repairer cannot be present.  

Entrance is via the Cube’s main door. On arrival, you will be given a registration form and guided to a café table to complete it and order your refreshments,   All items for repair will be ‘triaged’ to ensure that they can be repaired in a timely manner on the day.  If the triager feels that your item cannot be, you will be offered the chance of putting it into our ‘deliver, repair, collect’ system.

The Cube in-house cafe will serve refreshments and we hope you will support it during your visit.  After your repair has been completed, exit is from the main hall via the doors that lead to the car park.

Hand sanitizer will be available and the wearing of masks is optional but encouraged.  

We look forward to welcoming you back to the Repair Cafe experience.  As always, our volunteers will be on hand to help and answer any questions or concerns you may have.

Regards

Jan and Chris

The bike is a Emotion Easy, Neo City. It is a good sturdy bike. The owner lived in West Malvern and it handled all of Malvern's hills well. The bike has a new console fitted and two battery chargers are included. But the bike itself needs some work, the wheel rims have gone, so it needs new wheels and a new chain. The battery has about half it's life left, so hopefully there's another year or two life in it yet. The bike is being offered on the basis of 'spares or repairs'.

If you are interested please fill in your email below and we will pass it on to the owner.

This is based on an article by Joe St Clair in the Resurgence & Ecologist magazine.

Down on the farm, a new grassroots initiative is being sown: a simple idea for turning plots of land into sustainable and self-regulating ecosystems that can provide nutritious, healthy, organic food for local communities and also bring those communities together to combat loneliness and engender a sense of comradeship and belonging. And it’s working.

The Food Forest Project is a small, newly formed organisation that has been established to help communities to plant food forests. But it’s not just about growing food for the local community. It’s also about providing food and habitats for wildlife – so it’s a win–win situation for all.

The idea was conceived by Bristol-based Tristan Faith, a specialist in architectural conservation, who shared his vision with me by sketching the concept on paper. “It’s the idea of working with Nature to replenish itself naturally rather than over-working and depleting the soil,” he explained. “It’s all about creating a layered, self-regulating ecosystem. It starts with planting trees that grow to create a canopy layer that shades a mid-layer of fruit trees that in turn shade a shrub layer and a root crop layer, right down into the subsoil. Each layer creates a habitat for different species that enable natural predators to control the insects. It takes around five years for the complete system to stabilise and produce fruits, nuts, vegetables, herbs, and so on. Once it gets to that level of maturity no further intervention is necessary, because it then becomes self-sustaining.”

Faith’s vision remained a conceptual idea until he found a supportive farmer who kindly donated a suitable plot of land that met the criteria for the project. The land, near Shepton Mallet in Somerset, had been heavily used as pasture for many years. Now the food forest being developed there is creating an organic, biodiverse area of natural habitat that will provide perfect homes for local wildlife. The food forest also helps mitigate the effects of climate change, air pollution and the toxification of soil and water by creating natural spaces that capture carbon, regenerate soil and reduce run-off as well as stabilising erosion through the planting of woodland. No pesticides or fertilisers are necessary once the natural seasonal cycles take over, and the enriched soil will enable organic fruits and vegetables to thrive. These products will then be available for the local community to buy by donation, helping to fund further expansion.

Creating a food forest requires a lot of careful planning if it is to thrive in a self-sustaining manner. Current food-production techniques tend to create huge wastage as well as depleting soil nutrients, so the project focuses on minimising wastage by means of a ‘closed loop’ system. It has been calculated that a large quantity of high-quality and totally organic food can be produced in a small area with minimum wastage. Any excess products can be recycled naturally to further enrich the soil.

The project has another important goal. A large proportion of modern society has lost its connection to the natural environment. In recognition of this, the project has now joined forces with SAFE Collective, an organisation that works with vulnerable and abused young people. Volunteers bring teenagers to the Shepton Mallet site to plant trees and crops and to learn all about sustainable agriculture and food production in a safe, inspiring and natural environment. Introducing vulnerable young people to these and similar activities helps build their self-confidence and shows how they have value in the community.

For more information see www.thefoodforestproject.org