Wales joins European effort to reduce waste

19 Nov 2009

People across Wales are being encouraged to do their bit to help the environment between 21-27 November 2009 as part of the first ever European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR).

Throughout the week, activities have been planned across Europe to educate consumers about the importance of waste minimisation and encourage them to play their part in reducing the amount of rubbish that is sent to landfill.

With the support of Waste Awareness Wales, local authorities across Wales have joined the European effort by organising a series of events designed to get people thinking about how they can create less waste. The activities range from swap events - where people are invited to bring along their unwanted belongings and exchange them for items donated by other people – to campaigns encouraging local residents to say no to junk mail and reduce their food waste.

Community organisations across Wales are also getting involved, with examples ranging from a charity organisation re-carpeting a sixth form common room in Rhondda Cynon Taf with used carpet tiles, to a recycled jewellery making project in Merthyr.

As Owain Griffiths, head of Waste Awareness Wales, explains, while all the events are different, they share the same theme – reducing the amount of waste we create.

"When most people consider how they can reduce the impact that their rubbish has on the environment, they tend to think that it all comes down to recycling. But while it is really important to recycle as much of our waste as possible, the best way to ensure the least harm to our planet is to reduce the amount of rubbish we produce in the first place.

"We all need to take on board the principles of waste reduction and adopt them in our everyday lives – from choosing non-packaged goods and only buying what we need at the supermarket to using real nappies on our babies and saying no to junk mail. By taking simple actions to cut the problem off at its source, we can all make a real difference."

Interview opportunities during EWWR

A young family from Anglesey will be taking part in a series of waste-saving activities during EWWR and will be available for interview, film and photo opportunities in both English and Welsh. Spokespeople from Waste Awareness Wales will also be available throughout the week for interview in both English and Welsh.

Examples of activities taking place for EWWR across Wales:

• Blaenau Gwent has purchased a promotional trailer to go out into the community and promote waste reduction during EWWR.
  
  
• Carmarthenshire County Council has identified a cross-section of families to take part in its ‘Cutting down waste for a week’ campaign. The local authority will highlight what each family can do to reduce their household waste, e.g. shop wisely, use real nappies and make use of recycling schemes and services. 
  
  
• Ceredigion County Borough Council is working with the Tidy Towns co-ordinator and has arranged to visit the five main towns in Ceredigion during EWWR to give information on recycling, junk mail, Love Food Hate Waste and reducing general waste. 
  
  
• Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council is arranging a ‘bring and buy’ sale in High Street Baptist Church on Friday 27 November.
  
  
• Neath Port Talbot Council will be encouraging local expectant mothers to use real nappies during EWWR.
  
  
• In Rhondda Cynon Taff, Cleanstream carpets, a charity organisation that re-uses carpet tiles to help reduce the number of new carpet being manufactured, is re-carpeting a sixth form common room in Hawthorn School for free on Monday 23 November and running a waste reduction event on Tuesday 24 November.
  
  
• The City and County of Swansea has partnered with Swansea Waste Forum and SCRAP to deliver a series of four swapping events at local comprehensive schools during EWWR. Pupils are asked to bring in unwanted DVDs, CDs, books, games, toys, accessories etc at morning break time. Each item donated entitles the children to one voucher which they can use to ‘buy’ any item that they want during the big swap at lunchtime. The events will take place at Bishop Vaughan on 25 November and Bishopston Comprehensive School on 26 November.
  
  
• Torfaen County Borough Council has three "Big Swap" events and green Christmas fairs organised for 23 November at Blaenavon Workingmens Club, 24 November at Thornhill Community Centre and 25 November at Trevethin Community Centre.
  
  
• The Glamorgan GATES project is running a recycled jewellery making project, encouraging local people to bring in old items of beaded jewellery, and teaching techniques to make them into new ones.
  
  
• Keep Wales Tidy and Monmouthshire Council have planned a waste amnesty event on Saturday 14 November in Bulwark and Thornwell.
  
  
• On Thursday 26 November, Bridgend County Borough Council - in partnership with Bridge FM - will attempt to break the world record for the longest line of drinks cans at the Bridgend Recreation Centre. The local authority first broke the world record in 2006 when over 85% of local schools took part and a total of 84,498 drinks cans were lined up. The high profile initiative was used to highlight the recycling of cans from the refuse at the Materials Recovery and Energy Centre, Crumlin Burrows but their record was broken last year so Bridgend County Borough Council is inviting schools to help set a new record and bring it back to Bridgend.