The Zero Waste Challenge 2008 invited the residents of Brunton Park and Melbury Park (1400 properties) to participate in a project to reduce, reuse and recycle with the aim of sending the minimum amount of household waste to landfill.
This took place from 27 October – 9 November 2008. Levels of awareness were raised through information provision and work in local schools. All households were provided with an ourNewcastle jute bag, a reminder about which materials to recycle in the blue bin and where to recycle other items.
To receive feedback on the Challenge and information provided by the City Council we included a diary and a comments sheet. We also asked two local primary schools to provide posters to support the campaign, following whole school assemblies. Prizes have been awarded to the winning entries.
Analysis of the overall residual and recycling collections was undertaken to assess whether the campaign changed the levels of waste and recycling presented.
Outputs, Outcomes and Next Steps
We asked residents from this area to let us know how they found the challenge. Did the extra information we provided help? What did they do differently? Those who did contact us were all in support of the initiative and some queried which plastics can be recycled.
Diary entries and comments sheets were received after the challenge and they included the following:
Residents said that they are already keen recyclers and composters.
Information regarding tetrapaks was useful, though people requested more clarity on this (along with the plastics that can be taken).
People commented that their household waste has significantly reduced since the introduction of the blue bin. Some said they would like to have a weekly recycling collection and fortnightly refuse service.
A number of people have now requested that their junk mail be stopped.
The Challenge made people think about the problem of over packaged goods and that they need to ‘reduce’ waste even before they purchase.
In general, target materials in the residual waste dropped, suggesting the campaign had a positive effect on the behaviour of householders. While households in Brunton Park and Melbury Park recycle more of their wheeled bin collected waste (41%) than average households across the City (21%), they also produce 19% more wheeled bin collected waste than the City average.
The waste analysis has proved useful in informing any future city wide campaigns. Confusion expressed by residents in the Challenge area mirrors comments gathered by teams attending events and through queries received by the Bin Hotline.
A citywide waste minimisation project will be carried out as one of the council’s future Environment Weeks, using the lessons learned in this pilot exercise.
How you can set yourself the zero waste challenge
Recycling is one way to reduce waste but it's just the start. You can also help by reducing what you buy, buying recycled goods, and re-using as much as you can. To help get you started, we've put together some tips.
Reduce
Buy products such as washing up liquid and washing powder in large containers to help minimize packaging waste.
Don't buy products with lots of packaging.
Swap disposable products, such as nappies, tissues, face wipes and razors for reusable alternatives.
Reuse
Take your own shopping bag to the shops or buy a reusable bag.
Mend things whenever you can rather than chucking them away.
Let someone else re-use it. Take your old books, bric a brac and clothes, to your local charity shop or advertise them on
www.toon.org.uk
Buy recycled
There are two ways to do this – buying products secondhand and buying products made from recycled materials. The range of products made from recycled materials is increasing each day and there are now hundreds of different items on offer. Materials such as paper, glass and cans are often recycled into similar products which you'll find in many shops. Other materials are turned into entirely different products such as:
circuit boards into mouse mats;
car tyre inner tubes into toiletry bags;
plastic bottles into fleeces and pillow fillings;
juice cartons into bags and purses.
You can find out more about recycling and recycled products at:
www.recyclenow.com
http://www.recycledproducts.org.uk
If you would like more info about this challenge please e-mail us on waste.education@newcastle.gov.uk