Day 5: School recycling in Moreton Hall

Huge thanks to Abbots Green, Sebert Wood and Moreton Hall Prep School for taking part in my Recycle Week pledge. You're the real stars of the week along with your teachers who have also worked hard.

Phew what a day!

I've spent much of today dropping into our local schools to see how they've been getting on during Recycle Week. And I can honestly say I am amazed at the results. Not least because school life is always busy and this week has probably been more hectic than most. Yet they've all come up with the goods.


Early this afternoon, I visited Sebert Wood school to collect the cartons from them. They've had such a busy week with an Ofsted inspection, school trips and a teddy bear's picnic, but the children still managed to collect lots of cartons. The school staff also told me they've had a recycling assembly this week, featuring recycling songs and all the children were invited to make pledges, which they hung on their pledge tree.

Later I met up with the one of our friends from Moreton Hall Prep School, to add the last of their collection into the bin.

They too have had a busy week at the school and have had a team of volunteers making a regular run to the temporary recycling bin throughout the week.

Judging by how full it is, I think they've been hectic with their contributions too.

My final visit today was back to our own school Abbots Green, to catch up with how their week has gone.

And as I expected, they too have been busy working on their pledges. Here are a few members of the Recycling Club, helping to recycle some of the cartons I've been given.

Here's how the bin was looking this morning.

Abbots Green has also been busy with another recycling activity this week, which grabbed the interest of our local newspaper the Bury Free Press. Here's the journalist at the top of the ladder taking a photo of the results.

He was pointing his camera at a collage made from clothes donated to the school's textiles collection. I wasn't tall enough to capture the scene properly on my camera but here are a few highights of the detail in the picture.

Some children playing ball on the beach.

A sunbather resting under a parasol.




And on the horizon, a sailing boat gently drifting across the seascape.

Organised by one of our assistant headteachers and the art co-ordinator, the project was put together to give the children an understanding of reuse and an opportunity to engage their creativity. The effects were stunning and involved the whole school with each class taking their turn to create the seaside landscape. When I collected my children from school this evening they were keen to tell me how they made the sand and the sky.

I'm now looking forward to next week, when not only will we find out how much we have raised for the school, but we will also be able to see the full effect of the picture when it is published in the Bury Free Press.

So at the end of what has been a hectic school week, with me almost forgetting to take my own cartons into school, I'd like to thank all the schools in Moreton Hall for joining in the fun and for St Edmundsbury Borough Council for providing the bins.

There are only two more days to go of my Recycle Week pledge which is to help those in my community waste less this week.

It promises to be a quiet weekend, but if something happens, I'll be back to break the news.
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For other schools that are interested in organising a textiles collection, the contractor arranged by our local council to collect our clothes is BCR. More information about BCR's work can be found at their website at www.bcrglobal.co.uk

More information about other ideas and opportunities for recycling in schools can be found at the Recycle Now website.

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Day 5: Back to School for Recycle Week

So it's Day 5 of Recycle Week and it's probably the one which I have been anticipating with bated breath.

If you remember last week, I helped put together letters on behalf of our school inviting parents to bring in their empty Tetra Pak cartons for the school's Recycle Week collection at Abbots Green Community Primary School.

And following up an idea from another governor, we also arranged to organise a clothing collection as a fundraiser.

It was quietly nervewracking and I couldn't help wondering how many people would take part in either scheme. And I must admit, I was so nervous I didn't dare ask how things were going early in the week.

But look...when I popped into school this morning, I saw how many cartons had been coming in. I was most definitely impressed.


And look at how many clothes have been donated for the clothing collection....



In fact there are even more clothes than that and today is going to be a fun day indeed, because all the children are getting involved in an "Art Attack" project which will see the clothes being made into a huge picture before being collected later next week.

I've got lots to do today, catching up with everything's that's been going on both at the school and elsewhere. I'll be back later with photos of what promises to be a really enjoyable project, plus other news. Huge thanks to all involved. I hope everyone is having as much fun as we're having in our neck of the woods.

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Day 3: Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to school we go!

YES! YES! YES!

The Almost Average Household has finally remembered to recycle its cartons!

Phew!

That was lucky! The boys took them to school this morning to add to our school collection for Recycle Week, swinging them around in a wild fashion, whilst trying to hold up their trousers.

So on Day 3 of the pledge that I made at the Recycle Now site, we've finally done it. I just can't believe it took me three days to remember, especially as it's me who suggested the school collection in the first place as part of my wider community pledge.

But you know what this really means?

Not only have I contributed to local community spirit and the environment, I've also made sure that we keep Suffolk lovely and peaceful, in the manner to which it's now become accustomed

...because...

Thanks to recycling my own cartons today, it means I won't be forced to fulfil my forfeit which was to sing in public.

so as well as my neighbours in Moreton Hall, the folk at BBC Radio Suffolk and all their listeners will be totally safe from my wobbly warbling, when I drop in next week for my catch up.

I hope everyone else is doing well with their own pledges. I can't wait to find out how you're all getting on.

In the meantime.....

"Hi ho, hi ho, It's off to work I go......."

As you can see, I'm more than happy to sing on my own.



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Back to School!

It may have looked like I've been in hiding this week, but in truth I've been out and about enjoying myself.

And the focus has been education. Yes, folks Almost Mrs Average has been back to school. And I've loved it every minute of it.

The main event has been kicking off a new project at my sons' school of which I'm a governor. But I wasn't wearing my governor hat on this occasion. Instead, I'd been invited into Years 3 and 4 as a "parent expert" to inspire almost 50 learners to find ways of reducing waste both in the school and at home.

Well I can certainly say that as far as inspiration goes, it was most definitely a two-way street and I was impressed with what the children knew about environmental issues as well as all their ideas for reducing the problems with landfill.

They've really grabbed this project by the horns and there are lots more adventures to be had over the next few weeks, including a litter pick in our local neighbourhood, which will result in the rubbish being sorted into recyclables, so not just dumped in the bin. They also want to interview me and send letters to manufacturers. Then in the final week, they will give a presentation on their achievements and plans for the future. I am really looking forward to that and I am sure I will learn a few new things myself.

In the meantime, I'll be graduating to big school next week, working with Sixth Formers at a local college. I can't wait to see what happens there.

So from big kids to little kids, the adventures of Almost Mrs Average continue.

I just wonder what will happen next month!

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Recycling School Friends - The Update

Remember my recent news about introducing recycling at our school fayre?

Well the fayre went ahead at the weekend and true to my word I set up a recycling centre. It's a bit primitive looking I know, but it did the job and even survived the wind and the amazing heavy downpour of rain.


With bags available for plastic cups and containers, plastic bags, cans, tetra paks, as well as paper and card, the system was generally quite effective.

....especially as we saved this amount of "rubbish" from landfill...




.... leaving just two bags of real rubbish to put in the landfill bin.

I did get some ribbing over taking photos of recycling...but I couldn't resist...blog fodder and all that.

The best news is that the summer fayre helped to raise an extra £1200 to towards our imaginary world, which is what the event was really about.

ADDENDUM: Not school friends us such, but recently acquired recycling friends Mr & Mr Green over at myzerowaste.com have just been awarded Red Hot Blog of the Day by RedOrbit. Please take a visit and show your congratulations for their superb efforts and find out a new thing or two about Mr Green.

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Recycling School Assembly

Phew. I'm back! Having walked the wheelie bin to school, yesterday, I've talked the talk at school assembly today...and survived.

The children were great. We started off by letting them guess how much rubbish I had in my wheelie bin after six long weeks...and it was so exciting showing them how little there was...just one carrier bag full. There were gasps and wows. I could see my eldest boy, little J in the audience looking dead chuffed.

I showed them this excellent video about a town in Japan that doesn't have bin lorries and where residents recycle everything by separating waste into 34 containers. We then talked about Zero Waste and with a couple of helpers, we demonstrated how we can actually do this in Bury St Edmunds. The difference is that over here we have the luxury of bin lorries that come and get some stuff from the kerbside, but most other things can be recycled through services dotted around in the shops, garden centres and recycling centres.

Isn't it amazing how much recycling can be done if you know where to find the hotspots. I've even read that the council is planning on-street bins so that people will be able to recycle on the go too. So for the school fayre on Saturday, we're going to have our own bins that will help us recycle people's plastic bags, fruit juice cartons, plastic bottles, paper and cans. This week the children will make up labels for the bins...and will no doubt tell their parents where to put their rubbish.

But what about the finale?...well, I couldn't resist my favourite video illustrating the Jack Johnson's rendition of The Three R's...Always a winner. I've pointed to it on the site before, but just in case you've missed it, here it is again. Enjoy.


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Recycling School Friends

I'm getting a bit of a reputation at my sons' school.

I think it's the right reputation. However I can see why I could have given folk the wrong impression...having walked home from the school barbecue last month with a dozen empty wine bottles.

I can see the curtains twitching now...

"Look at her! How much has she had to drink? With two kids in tow as well. The poor husband".

A Saturday night at home maybe, but certainly not at the school barbecue. I've got standards to keep you know.

The bottles were the empties that I'd collected from an event which was run by The Friends committee, the fundraising team for our excellent school. Not content with slimming just my own bin, I thought I'd do my bit for the school so I brought the bottles home and by the following lunchtime, they were cosied up in the bottle bank. I also rescued about 50 plastic cups from a life of landfill and are still reusing those to this very day.

But get this...As a consequence of my drastic action, I have now been bestowed with a new title on the Fundraising Committee...

Recycling Coordinator!

Hooray! Yes Recycling Coordinator and I think every PTA should have one!

Even though the school is great at recycling, when it comes to the business of fundraising events and all of the other event management that goes with it, there's never been much time to consider the clear-up operation.

Aha...until now!

However, it doesn't stop there. I've already mentioned my other goal...reassessing prizes, gifts and snacks to reduce wasteful packaging, i.e. stopping rubbish at source.

I didn't push, but planted a seed.

Initial reactions such as "that'll be tricky", suddenly developed into "but if we bought little boxes of Smarties instead of packets of sweets...".

So Project Infiltration has begun.

And for our Summer Fayre on 19th July, the most important thing is to have our recycling bins in place, ready to receive cans and bottles or rubbish.

I thought it would be great to get the school involved so I asked the Head if he could get the kids to decorate them.

To which he replied, "Yes, we could, and you could come in and inspire them".

"Deal" I said, quite happy to get my hands dirty with paint.

At which point he opened his diary, pencilled in Tuesday and said "Assembly it is then"!

What!

How the heck did that happen? I know he's a smooth operator, but eh, I'm also know as Mrs Non-Stick who could have been the inventor of Teflon if I'd been born just 10 years earlier.

A school assembly....

with 149 children...

with me at the front.

No paint, just chat...

with teachers watching.

Now my reputation is really at stake!

So recycling friends, wherever you are. Wish me luck, give me strength and fortitude...

...because next Tuesday, I will most definitely need it.
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The Bokashi and the Beasties: The first live gig

A round of applause ladies and gentlemen for the latest, most talked about duo (well in Stanton village anyway)....

It's the main act, so please give it up for ...........

The Bokashi and the Beasties!



Yesterday, I was the warm-up act at Stanton Primary School, where I revealed the contents of my gorgeous rubbish bin to almost 60 children.



I had my volunteer bin sorters ...two very brave children who were happy to delve into the bin. For reassurance I should add, all items were deliberately added that morning.

Bizarrely, both the children's names began with a "kicking K"... which made it very easy to remember, especially as my name begins with the same letter too. (Apologies, but having a six year old, it is so easy to fall into Jolly Phonics).

Then we had my other helpers, who pretended to be the bins for all the sorted contents...

We had a "Curly C" to look after the Recycling
Another "Kicking K" to take care of the Composting
A "S" to sort out my squidgy fruit and veg.
And a "W" to look after the rubbish.

The boys and girls knew about recycling and were enthusiastic to vote on what we should do with each item, while I told the story of The Rubbish Diet and how, during one week in March, all I threw out was one plaster.

There were looks of surprise when the bin sorters delved into the bin and pulled out some dodgy looking fruit and vegetables, but we decided the wrinkled apple wasn't mouldy and could be eaten once peeled. The banana could be used in a banana cake and the tomato or carrots could be used to make soup.

After all the sorting, the boy in charge of the "rubbish" was left with just a piece of film from the Weetabix box.

Result! If this had been a real bin, there would have been hardly anything to have thrown away.

As the bin sorters were hard at work, there were calls of "eurggh" as we revealed the morning's leftover breakfast, which was some Weetabix, still in bowl (but wrapped in a plastic bag for safety)...

And that was the intro to the final act!

The floodlights were lit to reveal the one thing that has helped me to reduce my rubbish....

Yes the Bokashi itself.


I warned that it smelled a little and drained off some of the bokashi juice to a chorus of "what a pong".

It was agreed that it smelled a bit like cider (confirmed by the teachers not the children, I hasten to add).

The children then queued up to take a peek inside the bin, before heading in my direction to have a look at the beasties who eat the bokashi and turn it all into compost.




Yes, the lovely wriggly squiggly worms, all looking dandy in their portable bed of compost.

And there I was, wondering how I would fill a whole hour. As it was, I had nothing to worry about as the hour flew by.

The kids were great, so attentive, friendly and inquisitive and didn't eat me for breakfast after all...which is a good job really, because the next tour-date is this afternoon, this time at my son's school!

So without further ado...let's give another round of applause for The Bokashi and the Beasties as well as the children at Stanton Primary School in Suffolk, especially my wonderful helpers. Also a big "thank you" to Mr Goddard for inviting me along.

Extra notes for teachers or parents that might be looking in: Please note the contents of the Bokashi should not be placed in the brown wheelie bins for collection from the council. It is intended for use in a home compost bin or wormery. Anyone considering a kit would need two bokashi bins, plus a permanent supply of special EMs impregnated bran. Once full, the bokashi bin should be left for two weeks and the liquid drained off every few days, while you use the second bin. More links can be found on yesterday's post, which discusses food waste.
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