Please vote for The Rubbish Diet in celebration of reaching the Brilliance in Blogging shortlist. #BiBs

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I am absolutely chuffed to bits to hear the news that The Rubbish Diet has been shortlisted in this year's Brilliance in Blogging Awards, organised by BritMums, and especially so because it's been included in the Commentary category.

This category features blogs that highlight causes, either through raising awareness or funds, and which are a force for positive change. Topics might be global, local or personal. Whatever the cause, the bloggers shortlisted in this category have been chosen for doing more than their bit, and helping others get involved too.  So to have been nominated alongside so many great bloggers is a real honour.

This news comes at a particular exciting time, having just launched the extension to this blog, i.e. The Rubbish Diet Challenge website, which finally gives people a toolkit to reduce their waste wherever they are, and properly pulls together the learning and experiences of blogging about waste over the last five years.  With over 190 online sign-ups to the challenge (and another 80 offline) in the first 10 days of what has been very much a soft launch, the new site has quickly become the official new home of The Rubbish Diet. 

And it's also become a portal for tracking localised Rubbish Diet projects that are taking place around the country, starting with Suffolk, Shropshire and very soon Powys, sharing skills and local knowledge that can help householders reduce their waste by on average 50% in just eight weeks.  With Wiltshire Wildlife Trust having successfully rolled out the Rubbish Diet as part of their waste reduction campaign and the BBC Radio Suffolk Rubbish Diet recently launched in my neck of the woods, this year feels like a real milestone.  It's no longer just me anymore and that makes me feel like doing a happy dance.

So, if you like what we're doing in helping to put waste higher up the agenda and empowering households and communities to pull-together to slim those bins, please vote for the Rubbish Diet in the Commentary category.  That really would be smashing!

And on behalf of my new team, i.e. my merry band of Bin Doctors, I'd like to thank you for your support.

Of course, should we win...  we'll be sure to recycle the celebratory Champagne bottle as well as the metal cap, the twisty wire thing, the aluminium wrapping, cork and all!

Voting closes on 12th May.

The new Rubbish Diet Challenge website is now LIVE!

After much hard work from a dedicated team, the Rubbish Diet Challenge website is now live and kicking and ready as an online toolkit for anyone who wants to take the 8 week challenge to slim their bin! 

You'll find all you need, including an overview of how it works, some great diagrams and a sign-up form.  Once signed up, you'll receive a series of weekly tips, introducing different themes over the eight weeks.

So if you've been itching to take up the challenge but haven't got around to starting it yet,  there's no better time.  Do pop over to the new website and have a gander.   You can find it at www.therubbishdiet.org.uk. And if you live in Suffolk, Powys or Shropshire there are even 'Bin Doctors' on hand to tell you about their county-wide campaigns which are launching next week, offering extra assistance to help slim those bins.

Talking of which, it will come as no surprise that I'm rolling up my sleeves to help out in Suffolk, along with Kate Kelly, who took the challenge last year.  And we're getting ready to support presenter Mark Murphy, who is championing the BBC Radio Suffolk Rubbish Diet Campaign.  It's going to be HUGE and kicks off on Monday.

That's eight weeks of waste-busting fun in our own county.  We'll be covering all the latest news via a new local blog www.rubbishdietsuffolk.blogspot.com.  So, if I suddenly go all quiet here, you'll now know where to find me!

I hope you like the new website, and if you do, please tell your friends.  Here's to a very exciting new phase of The Rubbish Diet and an ENORMOUS thank you to everyone who's supported it so far.  The next few months are going to be great!

SLIMMER BINS, HERE WE COME!

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The calm before the great excitement!

Taking a brief Easter break before the big stuff happens!

Regular readers of the Rubbish Diet will probably recognise that nervous grin by now.  It's the one that says 'oh heck, it's too late now, it's happening and there's no going back now'. 

A bit like this one, taken in January 2008, when I signed up to St Edmundsbury's Zero Waste Week, agreed to become their community champion, panicked and then set up this blog.

Yes, this old blog, with just me and my bin! 

Then you and your bins....

It really has been fun and I am truly grateful for everyone who has followed and interacted with the blog over the last five years.

But things are about to change bigtime!

So, please hang onto your seats for the next stage of The Rubbish Diet adventure, because very soon it's not going to be just me and this little blog anymore.  There's a whole team of people behind the scenes, who have been working hard to take the bin-slimming experience to an all new level. 

And over the next week, we will be announcing a brand-spanking-new Rubbish Diet website (yep - a proper website - at long last!) and the very exciting launch of The Rubbish Diet challenge which will soon be taking place across three counties (Shropshire, Suffolk and Powys).

I would love you to be a part of that too, whether it's following the story, tweeting the new links or encouraging your friends to get involved.  There will be lots of stuff happening with some fantastic local projects, including teaming up with BBC Radio Suffolk to launch the BBC Radio Suffolk Rubbish Diet in my own area, which is both very exciting and equally daunting. 

We are really just days away from the launch of the new website, followed by the actual Rubbish Diet challenge which launches on 15th April, inviting participants to slim their bins over 8 weeks.  There will be new blogs too, enabling local followers to keep up with stories from their respective counties.

But there's no rest for the wicked!  There's much to do between now and then - including another visit to landfill, delving into some prestigious bins around the county.... and judging by that photo, I'd better fit in another haircut as it looks like a spider has landed on my head! 

Well there's definitely no going back now!  So do watch out for imminent announcements and all those luscious bin-slimming links coming VERY SOON!

Meanwhile, if you are on Twitter, do follow @TheRubbishDiet, which will feature all the latest news as it happens. Local updates will also be available via @RDShropshire, @RDSuffolk @RDPowys.

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