Let us continue the good work !

We didn't do quite as well as Davis household, but then we don't have a "junior compactor" on our staff. We had the bin collected twice during Lent and reckon that it was just over half full in total. We need to push Runnymede BC for plastic collection, as this was the major contributor to our waste, particularly meat trays, yoghurt pots, cellophane packaging etc. Our composter is also now well underway, but we will be searching the garden for some worms to get it cooking !! Look out for articles in future parish magazines to help keep up the momentum of this initiative.
A big thank you to Bryony and family for stirring us to do this and become a little bit greener,

IT IS FINISHED!

Tomorrow the Davis family bin will be put out for the dustmen with six whole weeks of rubbish.... And this is what is looks like - amazing eh?!! Six weeks of rubbish - about half a (well compacted) bin. And that includes the unrecyclable-in-Surrey plastics. It doesn't even smell too bad (that Neutradol is powerful stuff!!)

We should add that we have decided to remove Joe from the bin - as he takes up a lot of extra space......

We feel triumphant and a little amazed - we really haven't found it that difficult to do.

Hallelujah!

The plastic lid recycling bin has finally returned to the Murray Rd car park. Good news for those of us with a whole box of lids waiting for a home.

Nearing the end..

....not of our bin-space (still only half full), but of Lent. We are planning to write up the Bin Challenge for the magazine and also for The Wey... so you will all be receiving a little feedback form soon for your comments. Deadline for the magazine is Easter day - so it would be helpful if those who are swanning off on holiday could fill them in before they go (or a stop will be placed on your passport and you won't be allowed to leave the country!). Meanwhile - hope your bins are all beautifully slim and sweet smelling...
Bryony

New Bin

Runnymede Council obviously felt sorry for the Smiths' late start in the Christ Church challenge so they brought a card/misc paper recycling skip to the car park across the road last week to help us out! Envelopes can be put in here as well so am bringing bags of them home from work (apart from those that we re-use anyway). Look forward to meeting some of you in the car park!

Our new composter has arrived! A bit bigger than we had expected so we are deciding where to put it! We want it to be fairly near the back door so I don't get my feet wet when putting veg peelings etc in it! Martin has just sent me a recycling article for the May magazine which describes recycling spots in the area.

Weekend news

We had the family over this weekend....so the wheely bin has a bit more in it !!! Its difficult to entertain without acquiring some unrecyclable rubbish, including so-called disposable nappies! Jacqueline did offer to take them home but we thought that was going a bit far!
Still waiting for our composter bin to arrive, so at the moment we are dumping vegetable peelings etc. at the end of the garden where we put the grass cuttings.
Mary and Roger

Half Way through!

Well - we are halfway through. Only another three weeks of manic recycling to go.
The Davis bin is only a third full - which is pleasing. That doesn't include the large bag on unrecyclable plastic which we are still hoping to find a home for. It has to be said - the bin doesn't smell too great right now....

Most people I have spoken to seem to be doing well and on target. Some have described this experiment as 'life changing' and others say they will carry on when Lent is over. We will be asking for your feedback soon, so we can write up the Bin Sin Challenge for the magazine and hopefully for The Wey too.

In the Davis household, we have followed the Seymour's example and are getting the birds to help with recycling. A large blackbird seems pretty easy about what he eats in the way of kitchen scraps from our new bird table. We are also about to write to Tescos - in the hope of encouraging them to think harder about the packaging they and their producers use. I am told Hugh is unpacking things at the check out - which I imagine might have more impact than a letter. Happy composting Lesley.

Composting at last

Well, at long last the 2 large black compost bins I ordered nearly a month ago have turned up. They have been carted to the end of the garden and placed where 2 old wooden compost bins were taken out last year! (yes, yes, now I know I should have left them there). Although they look very big, they were surprisingly light to carry so I am now wondering if the forthcoming stormy weather is likely to relocate them into next door's garden. Having said they look big, I am a bit worried at the amount of leaves, grass etc our garden produces and how quickly they may fill up. I know Bryony told me that their quantity of compost seems to miraculously reduce all the time but were these just words of encouragement to get me composting? Time will tell. All I know is that one bin already looks about a third full. Fortunately the bins were accompanied by a really useful little book about how to do things. Full of terms like greens and browns and the need for air pockets and what egg shells do and what to do when the pile is wet and what to do when the pile is dry. I'm sure you're all familiar with this ...........or perhaps not? For a small donation to church funds, I might let you have a quick read.

Progress from the Pashleys

Still working hard at it...and it is hard work. We have just taken a load of cardboard and miscellaneous paper and dumped it in the Addlestone Scout skip. We had to get our bin emptied at the halfway point in the challenge as it just smelt too bad...however, it was genuinly only a quarter full ! We reckon we are down to one small plastic bag of unrecyclable rubbish each week. Two green garden rubbish bags have arrived and were duly filled and taken away last Monday. However, one already has a hole in the bottom where the green bag team must have dragged it along the ground. We have also had to ring the Council to get a replacement tag which identifies that we have paid as this was also lost after just one week ! Have also recycled a pile of coat hangers and old saucepans at the Salvation Army Charity shop...what a fantastic community service they run.

Getting Obsessional

There are a lot of Bin related conversations going on at the moment - to the point where I think we are all getting a little obsessional. Creativity abounds, with the Towies busy learning to make Pizza and the Davis' household producing large quantities of yogurt in order to feed Adam without producing a pile of unrecyclable plastic pots. Compost is another popular topic, although none of us seem quite sure why our compost bins do or don't work.

Would be good to get some more posts or comments... and I know at least some of you have taken bin pictures (you sad people!) which you could share (though we will be really depressed if everyone's bin is as empty as the Pashleys - what are these people doing with their rubbish? Do they not eat?).

Have had some interest from the community, where people have read about our challenge in the magazine. One has even joined us, which is great.

Quote of the week

The rich young ruler:

A rich man asked Jesus: 'Good Teacher, what must I do to save the world?'

'Why do you call me good?' Jesus asked him. 'No one is good except God alone. You know what the sustainability manual says: Do not waste water or energy, shop thoughtfully and use the recycling facilities.'

The man replied: 'Ever since I was young I have lived in this way.'

When Jesus heard this, he said to him: 'There is still one more thing you must do - live so that nothing you do depletes the Earth's resources or does permanent damage to its habitat.' But when the man heard this he was sad because he had a comfortable life.

Jesus saw that he was sad and said: 'It is easier for a waste collection vehicle to enter the drive of a small council house, than for a rich man to live sustainably.'

[John Polhill - Iona Community]

Lesley's song

From Lesley's email......
I thought we ought to have a group song and found this on the website www.earthlingsmusic.net. Goes to the tune of 'My bonny lies over the ocean'

Reduce and reuse and recycle
Eliminate garbage and waste.
Reduce and reuse and recycle
We'll live in a much better place.
Reduce! Reuse! Recycle everything we can!
Reduce! Reuse! Recycle all that we can!...

I think there may be more verses but this seems like enough!

Lesley

What a star!

As you say .... just one little hint and Roger has this blog set up and running. What a star!
Our bin is not looking as empty as the Pashley bin. We are trying hard but unfortunately I completely forgot about recycling on my last shop and brought a take-away curry in lovely un- recyclable plastic trays. Also had some of Joseph's friends round who didn't finish up their food - a terrible sin. Have just discovered the Seymour's are feeding all their rubbish to the birds - so if you see overweight Vultures over Row Town you know why. Happy Blogging
Bryony

Very impressed

Well done Roger. Bryony only had to mention a blog and here it is! Impressed with how little you have in your bin. Like us are you trying to do only half a bin? I'm trying to make sure that I only use plastic bags which will degrade to throw away rubbish. I have a feeling that I noticed that the tesco bags now say that they do this. Has anyone else noticed this? Would save buying disposal bags just for the sake of it.

This is the Pashley rubbish bin as at3pm Friday 2nd March

The Pashley family are doing well with the Sin Bin Challenge. We are keeping unrecycled rubbish down to one small plastic bag a week. The main saving seems to be keeping the mountain of envelopes, miscellaneous flyers and bits of paper/cardboard out of the rubbish bin. Composter on order and also two Green bags from Local Council.