Day 1: Merci beaucoup Monsieur

Il y a beaucoup des cartons pour moi. Bon travail Monsieur. Super!

Phew. I have some cartons! The relief!

If you remember, my sons' school is joining in my Recycle Week pledge by collecting Tetra Pak cartons over the next few days but having hobbled into school this morning, I hadn't noticed whether the rest of the children were laden down with bags and bags to add to our collection.

And I have a another confession to make. EVEN I forgot to give our own cartons to my children to take to school today.

Yes I know it's Recycle Week and I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on such matters but I was entirely distracted by avoiding the pain that comes with a trapped nerve that I developed yesterday.

And given that it had taken me a whole hour to ease myself out of bed, culminating in a great impression of a cow in labour, gathering cartons was not the first thing on my mind.

AND there were the logistics of getting to Ipswich to consider, where I spent most of the day.

So I don't yet know how the rest of the children got on today at Abbots Green. However the REALLY GREAT NEWS is that on picking up my eldest from his regular French Club at school this evening, Jon who runs the fabulous Le Club Francais, happily presented me with OVER A DOZEN Tetra Pak cartons that he'd collected at the weekend.

Yep, it was party time for some lucky folk and as a result there were a couple of bagfulls that would have otherwise ended up in landfill.

How blessed am I?

And very easily pleased!

So as well as the dozen or so that we've been collecting at home, we can now match that with the donation given to us by Jon from Le Club Francais.

And with the numbers quickly gathering apace at home, if I'm not careful to take them in tomorrow, I'll be doing a worthy impression of a Buckaroo horse, burdened down with them all. And I can add good sound effects too.

So I think the best thing is to take them into class tomorrow morning, where they will be counted and added to the classroom collection before being squashed and placed in the huge blue bin that has been dropped off by the council.

It really is an enormous bin. Look at it!

Will we really be able to fill that?

I truly hope so!

All I can say is bon chance toute le monde et merci beaucoup. Keep up the good work and let's see what we get tomorrow.



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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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Walking the wheelie bin

I hope the local paparazzi weren't out with their cameras last night.

If so there will be photos knocking about of a mad old bird taking her wheelie bin for walk.

That's right, you heard...a wheelie bin!

Most people walk their dogs, there's a lady in town who walks her ferrets and I have known some people to walk their cats...but a wheelie bin! This is how folklore starts.

"Remember the lady who used to take her wheelie bin for a walk around the streets of Moreton Hall?"

"Yes...a jolly figure, who would wave at the passers by with one hand, and wheel with the other"

"Every Monday if I remember."

"I wonder what happened to her."

"Probably moved into the recycling centre...what with the cost of fuel."

Well before there is a risk of any rumour circulating the cafe-bars of Bury St Edmunds, there was indeed a funny looking lady wheeling her bin through the streets of Moreton Hall.

It was indeed me, but trust me it's a one-off. I've not got in the routine of giving the bin some regular exercise. If nothing else, it's pretty slim these days so doesn't need it.

I was in fact preparing for today's recycling assembly at our local school and people would have stared if I delivered it during the middle of the school run and that wouldn't do. I'm not the kind of girl to stop traffic and I didn't want to start today!

So the bin is waiting for the 149 kids to have a guess at how much rubbish is in there, having not put it out for six weeks.

So pop back later for an update. That's if I make it back in one piece of course and haven't been recycled myself.
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Bin there, darn that, and even bartered the T-shirt

I'd like to extend a warm welcome to readers of The Times, who have found the blog in today's Body & Soul supplement, as well as a huge thank you to columnist Anna Shepard for the mention in her Eco-Worrier section.

What a busy few months it's been since I started my council's Zero Waste challenge three months ago. Did I say three months...?

That means for a whole quarter of the year, I've been talking rubbish!

Who could have guessed there would be so much to talk about. Even curiouser, who would have thought it would get into the papers, the radio and on TV or that I would be interviewing Oliver Heath about his own recycling habits.

Anyway, for one week I'm going to ditch the trash-talk and avoid all forms of temptation to touch the subject.

It's not that I don't like it, it's more that I love it so much that I can't stop, whether it's the chat, the blog or indeed the offline ideas. However there are times when a woman has to think about other things, not least her children, husband, cats...oh yes and herself. And don't forget the cake! Cake is important too.

So as it's International Downshifting Week, I've decided to follow some top advice and slow down, take a few days off and spend some extra time with my family and friends, doing lots of fun things.

I'm also going to volunteer some of my time to help out in the world beyond the giant, at my son's primary school, which is very exciting indeed.

Then there's the big clear out. Being the Queen of Clutter, I need to look after my husband's interests, especially as he prefers the minimalist look. So a declutter exercise is on the cards! If the folks from my local Freecycle or LETS group are looking in, you can expect a few give-aways being advertised very soon.

So what are the chances of me staying away from the blog?

Probably as likely as staying off the chocolate, but I'll have a go.

However, if like me you are a rubbishoholic and you need some extra inspiration to keep you going, there will be plenty to keep you entertained. While I am away, feel free to have a nosey around the blog, where if you're a newcomer, you can find out how things went during Zero Waste Week and how I managed to get away with just one plaster.

If you still want more info, Peter at Junkk Male will keep you up-to-date with all things current. For an international feel, it's also worth having a peek at Say No To Trash in Canada as well as America's Wasted Food.

However, please don't forget Bury St Edmunds' very own Ruby (and my very own 'guinea pig'), who is following her own Rubbish Dietplan. Ruby has written an update on her progress. As I'm off this week, you'll be able to find it on her own blog, Living in Bury St Edmunds. If you get a chance, please pop over and encourage her along...I know she will appreciate your help.

So while I am relaxing, please feel free to comment and chat amongst yourselves. Just keep it clean and above board. I will return even more enthused to share my latest rubbish news, including details of another volunteer who is attempting to slim her bin.

In the meantime, I'm grabbing a cup of tea, putting my feet up and relaxing with the paper...

Now, where was that cake?.....


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