Appeal for homes to help our recycling volunteers

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Pack crisp packets flat condensed in a shoe box

Press release

Sussex Green Living appeals for homes to help keep single use plastic recycling going in Horsham District

Sussex Green Living is appealing for help in the homes with single use plastic recycling during the covid19 crisis. Since 2012 Sussex Green Living with the help of lots of volunteers have been recycling specific single-use plastics. The materials are sent to and recycled by a company called TerraCycle.

Carrie the founder of Sussex Green Living is appealing for help “Over the last year the volume of donations has grown 10 fold, we have a wonderful team of volunteers we call the SGL Wombles who were helping sort every Wednesday afternoon at the Quaker Meeting House”, she continues “We had to make the decision to stop those team sorting sessions last week”.

Two volunteers are going to try to keep the lesser volume now being received, sorted and dispatched to TerraCyle. Helen Whittington, the onsite warden of the Quaker Meeting House will daily clean the handles on the bins in the meeting house garden, this being the main drop off location in the district (although there are six other parish locations and schools who also collect). Joy Carter, endearingly called chief Womble is going to remove the recycling to a remote location (using personal protective gear) and then trying to sort after 72 hours.

At this very difficult time Sussex Green Living is appealing to local collectors to try and collect and stockpile at home, or sort as seen in the photo above, then supply sorted making it quicker and easier for Joy to dispatch. Joy says “If we stop collecting these specific single use plastics, at the moment West Sussex County Council transport them to Germany or Holland to be incinerated as refuse derived fuel”, she continues “TerraCycle employ huge numbers of staff and are doing a brilliant job, if we suddenly stop dispatching materials to them staff will loose their jobs and the service will stop”.

Sussex Green Living has dispatched hundreds of thousands of tonnes over the 8 years it has provided this service, since December 2018 they started collecting crisp packet and have recycled 105,708 crisp packets. Learn more here https://www.sussexgreenliving.org.uk/recycling-zone/single-use/ , this guide shows exactly what can and can’t be recycled https://www.sussexgreenliving.org.uk/sussex-green-living-recycling-guide-2/.

The good news is that the UK is bringing in new legislation in 2023 that will make rubbish the responsibility of businesses that create it.

https://www.positive.news/environment/thinking-outside-the-box-how-brands-and-governments-are-tackling-trash/.

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For more information contact

Carrie Cort

07768 212833 

About Sussex Green Living

Sussex Green Living (SGL) is a social community environmental awareness initiative. Our mission is to make the world a better place and to educate and inspire people to take action to reduce their impact on the Planet. We want to share practical ideas to help people to reduce the effects of climate change, to reduce their carbon footprint and to live in greater harmony with the planet now and for future generations.

Supported by about 120 volunteers (ad hoc) and hundreds of supporters we offer and promote these sustainable solutions:

  • Horsham Climate Café – horshamclimatecafe.org.uk once a month, usually 2-4pm at the Quaker Meeting House, Worthing Road, Horsham, however will take place using Zoom video conferencing during the Covid19 crisis every other week for one hour starting 4th April.
  • Horsham Repair Cafe – horshamrepaircafe.org.uk/, repairs and organic food refill service is POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
  • The Horsham Repair Café personal and household cleaning product bottle refill, will continue with a pop up serviced to support people in the community. It will include cleaning refills + dishwasher tabs, toilet and kitchen towel. It is being offered as a doorstep collection for those in need and drop off and collect at Quaker Meeting House with refill times Wed & Sat 10-12 each week. horsham-refill.com
  • Clean renewable energy switching service – bigcleanswitch.org/sussexgreen is available from home and the Horsham Repair Café (when operating).
  • Single-use plastic recycling scheme – public drop off locations at Quaker Meeting House in Horsham, William Penn School in Coolham, other locations can be seen on this page sussexgreenliving.co.uk/recycling-zone/single-use/but might not be operational during the Covid19 crisis
  • Free environmental/climate education assemblies and lessons – sussexgreenliving.co.uk/green-education/.
  • Talks to adult groups – sussexgreenliving.co.uk/spread-the-word/talks/.
  • Annual ‘green inspiration through the art’ with schools or whole community – 2019 sussexgreenliving.co.uk/oceanbombed/.
  • Green stand supporting local events (sales and or info/advice) – sussexgreenliving.co.uk/recycled-stand/.
  • Campaigning central and local government for greener living.
  • Founded Climate Reality Global Education Working Group facebook.com/GlobalClimateEducation/.
  • Initiated the formation of the South East Climate Alliance – seclimatealliance.uk/.

Sussex Green Living is a multi-award winning environmental and education community initiative, details of our awards can be seen here https://www.sussexgreenliving.org.uk/about-us/

“Inspiring sustainable living in Sussex”