Monday 7 April 2008

Recycling with CBeebies


On Saturday, I took the children and one of their little friends to see CBeebies live at the theatre! For those who haven't experienced CBeebies, it is a BBC television channel dedicated to the under fives and it's a quality one at that.

The visit to the theatre was a special treat for the Easter holidays and I must admit that at first I felt a bit dubious about being trapped in the Cambridge Corn Exchange, with a whole load of over-excited children for nearly two hours.

But ladies and gentleman, I am delighted to eat my words. Not only was the theatre packed with children who were just happy to see their heroes on stage, (who also seemed just as happy to see the children), but the CBeebies show came with a very special message...yes the importance of recycling and composting.

Children and grown-ups were entertained by PC Plum, Jenny Jumble, Postman Pat, Boo, Tamba, Bill and Ben, Jakers and friends, The Koala Brothers and Tommy Zoom, all doing their best to recycle and even compost.

Never before has a recycling message had such a "captivated" audience.

The central character was a recycling bin, which was at risk from the terrible Polluto, who was on a personal mission to contaminate the bin with sludge and generally destroy the world. Fortunately Tommy Zoom saved the day and took Polluto home for a good telling off!

It was truly inspirational, making the subject of recycling totally interesting for children, not just emphasising its importance but also looking at the fun element of making new things out of everyday objects.

So what a great way to start off this week. Following last week's emphasis on landfill problems, the next five days will offer a more upbeat theme, focusing entirely on recycling and reusing.

As well as a review of a fabulous book that's just hit the bookstores, there is also our very first celebrity interview, which is not to be missed. On top of that there will be examples of some fantastic recycled products, which highlight the value of recycling, plus some hints and tips on how everyone can get involved. If you're looking for inspiration, you will definitely find lots of it here over the next few days.

I suppose this is turning out to be The Rubbish Diet's unofficial LET'S RECYCLE WEEK.

So, even if you're already an active recycler, why not have another look at your rubbish and see if you can keep one extra thing out of landfill. Even better, get your friends and colleagues to follow suit.

Who knows what will happen. Take last week, one reader found out she could recycle Tetra Paks at her local recycling point. Perhaps you can do the same too and find out what else you can recycle at the same time. As you'll see from the articles coming up, it is so worth the extra effort.

Go for it... all you need to find is just one extra thing. It could be an aerosol can, a plastic bag or even a meat carton. You could even cheat and swap your regular purchase that can't be recycled with an alternative product that can.

Is that really cheating? I think the answer to that is "Naaah"!

Anyway, if you need some help, more information can be found at:

www.recycle-more.co.uk
www.recyclenow.com
www.wasteonline.org.uk

Hmm, I wonder what else I'll be able to save this week. I'm afraid you'll have to wait and see!

If you want to find out whether CBeebies is coming to your town
click here for tour dates. The show comes fully recommended.
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7 comments:

Mel said...

That's excellent - well done CBeebies!

I've been doing my own recycling this weekend - having got the paperwork for my allotment, I spent yesterday afternoon turning Saturday's papers into seedling pots - thanks to Wiggly, of course! - and I think that the Telegraph sports section -> plant pots can probably be classed as an all-too-rare example of up-cycling (ie, creating a more valuable product from waste!)

Mel

Picklesmum said...

Make that 2 readers who found out she can recycle Tetra Paks at her local recycling centre! Am ashamed I hadn't checked it out in more detail before. I have told Picklesgrandma to bring hers here when she comes on the train, so we can recycle them for her. Not having a car she can't get to the recycling centre easily!

Almost Mrs Average said...

Hi Mel - LOL - I love that the concept of up-cycling. Fantastic. You ought to try it when the papers cover the Tour de France...up-cycled seedling pots with pictures of bicycles ;-D

Hi Picklesmum - hooray and thank you for checking that out. Big thumbs up to Picklesgrandma for bringing them on the train. That's a great example of just doing one small thing. Keep spreading the word ;-D

Picklesmum said...

I am swapping her Tetra Paks for my Brita cartridges which she is going to recycle in Palmers for me!

Almost Mrs Average said...

Hi Picklesmum - wow that's even better. What you and your mum are doing is definitely inspirational to others. If your ears start burning, it'll be because I'm talking about you. All good mind ;-D

Mel said...

I came across the idea of upcycling in a fab book called Cradle to Cradle (www.mcdonough.com/cradle_to_cradle) - the point being that many items that are recycled are gradually downgraded in quality (downcycling - ie: paper), unless a way can be found to turn them into an "added value product" (for want of a better term!) Some other great upcycled products I've spotted are fleece jackets made out of pop bottles & carrier bags; pencils made out of vending-machine plastic cups; waste-paper bins made out of woven newspaper; and the carafe & glasses made of old bottles in today's photo of Oliver Heath.

Mel

Almost Mrs Average said...

Mel - thanks for the link to the Upcycling book. I've not come across that before. Hope you don't mind but I've quoted you in today's post. ;-D

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