Tag: Recycle

Scottish libraries play key role in success of UK-wide circular economy project

Winners of the John Lewis Partnership’s Circular Future Fund – one year on

  • Four projects reveal their 12-month progress: creating ‘lend and mend’ hubs in libraries, helping to make menstrual cups mainstream, redesign children’s shoes to make them last longer and technology to enable polyester to be recycled again and again
  • The £1 million fund was launched in November 2021, calling for new ideas and innovations to transition towards a more circular economy
  • The Circular Future Fund was raised from the sales of 10p plastic bags
  • The Circular Future Fund impact report can be viewed at: hubbub.org.uk

An innovative ‘lend and mend’ initiative in nine Scottish libraries has played a significant role in the success of a new UK-wide circular economy project.

The John Lewis Partnership and environmental charity Hubbub, has this week published an impact report, detailing the progress of four trailblazing projects that were awarded funding as part of the Circular Future Fund, created to find pioneering circular economy ideas.

In 2022, four projects were each awarded grants of between £150,000 – £300,000, from 245 applications, to develop their innovative solutions that challenged the ‘make…use…throw-away’ culture of modern society. The £1 million fund was made possible by the sales of 10p plastic bags through the John Lewis Partnership.

Helping menstrual cups go mainstream, redesigning children’s shoes to make them last longer, creating ‘lend and mend’ hubs in libraries and enabling polyester to be recycled again and again were the winning projects chosen by an independent Grant Fund panel of industry experts. Each winner was then supported by Hubbub to develop and achieve their ambitions.

The successful projects have each reported significant progress with proven results that leave a strong legacy for their respective industries. By sharing their learnings and challenges in the report, they hope to inspire others to follow in their footsteps towards creating a more circular economy.

Key outcomes from each project are detailed below:

SCOTTISH LIBRARY AND INFORMATION COUNCIL (SLIC) – Establishing ‘lend and mend hubs’ in Scottish libraries  

SLIC’s project aimed to create a network of lend and mend hubs across Scotland to support communities to repair, reuse, rent and upcycle everyday items.

The difference made:

  • Nine hubs have been created, with early indications suggest hubs have the potential to reach around 2,000 people per year through sewing and mending classes alone.
  • All libraries are offering equipment, workshops, and tools free of charge to overcome cost barriers for the public, making everyday circular economy actions more accessible.
  • The hubs are fitted out with circularity in mind, using repurposed office furniture saving 5 tCO2 compared to buying new and upcycled peg boards that were part of Kenya’s display at COP26 in Glasgow.

SLIC plan to create a toolkit, disseminated through workshops, to share their learnings and help other library services across the UK replicate their approach.

Marion Kunderan, head of programme on the SLIC ‘Lend and Mend’ project team: “With the ongoing cost of living crisis, the Lend and Mend Hubs have the potential to support families to make more sustainable choices. 

“Libraries are trusted community spaces without agenda and have an opportunity to provide a space where communities can take action through practical everyday solutions locally.”

DAME – Helping menstrual cups go mainstream 

The perfect circular sustainable period product, the menstrual cup, has existed for decades, yet it remains a niche product that only 5% of people with periods use.  DAME aimed to break down the barriers to using menstrual cups. They gained insight of the barriers to cup use, through surveys and a small user group trial, identifying the main concerns as comfort, leaking, and inserting a menstrual cup, plus cleaning it.

The difference made:

  • To help combat these barriers, the project created a myth-busting cup user guide, featuring Hayley Morris which is viewed 4,500 times per day.
  • DAME also designed a groundbreaking self-sanitising menstrual cup, removing the need to boil or sterilise cups. Launched in June, the self-sanitising period cup has achieved several ISO standards to prove its safety and effectiveness.
  • Each cup is predicted to contribute 99 times less carbon over its lifetime[4] (compared to boiling a traditional cup) and avoids the need for 2,860 disposable period products per person over a lifetime of periods.
  • Next DAME are exploring charity partnerships to see if the cup could be available to those experiencing period poverty, and sharing the user guide content with educators to help more teenagers to try and stick with menstrual cups.

PIP & HENRY – Redesigning children’s shoes to make them last longer 

Pip & Henry’s research and development project explored extending the life of children’s shoes. Young children replace shoes every 4 months, while 85% of shoes currently end up in landfill. Pip & Henry’s project aimed to explore two solutions to disrupt the children’s footwear industry.

The difference made:

  • Over the year period, Pip & Henry actually developed three concepts to work towards their vision of an expandable shoe and shoe that can be more cleanly separated into their component materials and therefore more easily recycled.
  • They hope to launch a capsule collection in 2024 and are exploring licensing concepts to help scale their circular shoe innovations.
  • The project has provided in-depth knowledge about the environmental impacts of footwear manufacturing methods and material innovations, plus how to design for better end of life recycling.
  • Pip & Henry plan to share their learnings and insights with the footwear manufacturing and recycling industries, to help create an industry step change to more circular shoe designs.

UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS – Innovating technology to enable polyester to be recycled again and again   

Polyester is the world’s most common textile fibre and yet only 15% of polyester produced is made from recycled polyester (mostly from plastic bottles) [7]. Currently there is no true circularity in the polyester industry because the dyes in polyester mean it cannot be easily removed which prevents it being recycled back into new virgin polyester fibre. The University of Leeds’s innovation created new novel ‘switchable-solubility’ dyes that enables them to be switched from water-soluble to water-insoluble to colour and de-colour polyester.

The difference made

  • The research proves the dyes can be both added to, and removed from polyester, enabling the dye, water and fabric to be recycled with huge potential environmental benefits, needing less energy and water use, and removing the need for auxiliary chemicals in the dyeing process.
  • The introduction of the new CO₂ technology delivers a truly circular process that has the potential to recycle directly and mechanically some of the 57 million tonnes of polyester fibre produced globally each year[8].
  • The University of Leeds also made a bonus discovery, in that their technology also works on other fabrics such as denim and existing dyes in polyester.
  • Next the project plans to scale the technology to test at industrial scale, plus complete a full environmental lifecycle analysis.
  • The University of Leeds will share their discoveries with the textile and recycling sectors, plus exploring commercialising the technology to maximise its reach and impact.

Marija Rompani, Director of Ethics and Sustainability at the John Lewis Partnership, said: “The Circular Future Fund allowed us to connect and support leading innovators to enhance their circular business models and drive the shift in circularity within the industry and society.

“I’m so excited to share their findings, and hopefully this is just the beginning of the impact that each of the winning projects will have.”

Saskia Restorick, Director at Hubbub, said: “The four projects, while very different in nature, shared an ambition to bring innovative, creative and entrepreneurial approaches to designing out waste in their respective sectors.

“This forward-thinking fund, along with the winners’ hard work and dedication has enabled them to find tangible solutions and gain huge amounts of insight and knowledge. It has been a pleasure working with them and seeing their ideas come to life.

“We look forward to seeing how they develop and to sharing their successes to inspire even more innovation to speed up the transition to a more circular economy.”

The Circular Future Fund aimed to identify innovation and challenge the status quo, to boost the circular economy. The four projects have delivered on their ambitions, leave a strong legacy and offer tangible examples of the circular economy in action.

To find out more about the four projects, their impact and legacy, the Circular Future Fund impact report can be viewed at  hubbub.org.uk

Artist J.O.T. and Royal Yacht Britannia

Following the successful ‘Meet The Artist’ event that took place earlier this week at the FROM WASTE TO WALL exhibition held at the Image Collective Gallery in Leith, James Owen Thomas (also known by his initials J.O.T.) arranged to meet Laura McCall, marketing manager of The Royal Yacht Britannia & Fingal Hotel Ocean Drive Leith.

The exhibition takes place directly opposite Britannia’s Visitor Centre and James was delighted to present Ms McCall with a framed original collage Emblem for the Royal Yacht Britannia. 

Laura received a personal tour around the art exhibition before inviting James for a tour on board the Britannia.  As a COP26 One Step Greener ambassador and environmental artist, James was very impressed with Britannia’s environmental commitment to eliminate, reduce, reuse and recycle waste and he hopes to collaborate with Britannia and Fingal on future projects. 

These are his thoughts exactly as James describes how the art he creates has all been made from recycled items. 

He said: “If what I can do will encourage and inspire people to re-use and recycle, then hopefully we can look forward to a more environmentally-friendly future.” 

James’ exhibition at the Image Collective Gallery, 2nd Floor, Ocean Terminal continues until 30th September and he can be contacted via his website www.jamesowenthomas.com or by email art@jamesowenthomas.com

Big Swap Event coming up in Dalry

GRANTON Goes Greener are very excited to be involved in another BIG SWAP event at St Martin’s Community Resource Centre on Saturday 16th July.

Few general rules, which we would appreciate you respect:

  • the event is absolutely FREE and anyone in need of clothes, household items/ books etc is more than welcome to attend,
  • it is NOT A SWAP, everyone is allowed to take anything they need for free. We already have quite a few bigger donations, please, DO NOT BRING ANY DONATIONS on the day,
  • be mindful of others on the day
  • finally, help us to spread a word and invite friends to attend the Big Swap 🙏🙏🙏

https://www.facebook.com/…/gm…/5226040720816416/

Free sewing class tonight

Granton Goes Greener’s additional monthly EVENING FREE SEWING CLASS is on tonight (Thursday) at @GrantonParish (East Hall) from 6pm – 8pm.

It is a DROP IN so no need to book, ADULTS ONLY.

Free refreshments.

Any questions, email: anna@grantongoesgreener.org.uk

Six simple ways to become more sustainable at home

There is no doubt that making simple changes in our everyday lives can reduce our impact on the environment.

Currently, around 15% of Scotland’s carbon emissions come from gas boilers in our homes being used for heating and hot water. However, cutting down on your carbon emissions and energy usage is much easier than you think.

From minimising household waste to installing eco-friendly heating solutions, there are plenty of ways to help reduce your impact on the environment, and if you’re looking to make a long-term investment, a heat pump could significantly reduce your bills and your carbon footprint.

Richard McLaren from The Natural Energy Company in Fife, which is part of eco-heating brand Daikin UK’s Sustainable Home Network, shares six easy tips to help you become more sustainable:

  1. Insulate and draught-proof your home

Insulation and draught-proofing your home are the most effective ways to save energy and costs, as your heating system will then need to use less energy to keep your home warm and cosy. You can stop cold air coming in and warm air escaping by using items draught excluders, which many high-street and online stores sell. Insulation of your home to as high a level as possible will result in lower bills and higher comfort levels.

  1. Swap your light bulbs to LEDs

Old school incandescent bulbs use up a lot of energy and are no longer manufactured. Instead of buying old stock, why not try using energy-saving LED lightbulbs? They are the most energy-efficient bulbs and use 90% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. There is no need to worry about brightness – they are just as good as other bulbs and can even save you money on your energy bills.

  1. Install a heat pump

Investing in a greener alternative to your oil or gas boiler, such as a heat pump, could significantly cut your heating bills and lower your carbon footprint. A well designed and skilfully installed heat pump system will save many tonnes of CO2 per year and is a fantastic way of reducing your carbon footprint.

Heat pumps are a well-established technology that can be installed efficiently and quickly into your home. Homeowners can also apply for an interest free loan through Home Energy Scotland to help with the installation of a heat pump, along with 75 per cent cashback to the value of £7,500, so now is the perfect time to consider switching to an eco-friendly alternative for heating.

  1. Reducing water usage

Typically, the less hot water you use, the lower your energy bills will be. There are many ways to reduce your household usage such as installing a timer that turns off your electric water heater at night or when it’s not in use. Simple changes such as turning off the tap when brushing your teeth, taking shorter showers, repairing leaking pipes and doing a cold clothes wash, will all help reduce the amount of water and energy you’re using.

  1. Consider eating less meat

Eating less meat is crucial for a healthy planet as meat production creates large quantities of greenhouse gases. Reducing meat and moving to a more plant based diet will make a positive contribution to combating climate change, and will reduce soil, air and ocean pollution.

  1. Recycle, Refill and Reuse

The main benefit of recycling is that it saves energy by reducing or eliminating the need to make more materials from scratch. Brush up on your local council’s recycling rules and investigate local refill stations where you can refill your cleaning products and food containers, therefore removing any packaging or additional waste. Investigate eco alternatives to chemical based cleaning products which further harm the environment.

Play Another Day: CBeebies star calls on Scots to help the planet

Get on board with The Great Toy Rescue!

The star of children’s TV show Molly and Mack is urging Scots to hand their old toys on to be enjoyed once again as part of Zero Waste Scotland’s Pass it on Week. 

Joshua Haynes, who plays Mack in the hit CBeebies show, says it is more important than ever that we make better use of our resources to protect the planet. 

Taking place from 7 – 15 March, Pass it on Week, with support from the European Regional Development Fund, is the national celebration of reuse. This year, the theme ‘The Great Toy Rescue’ encourages Scots to pass on items on so they can play another day. 

Passing on toys that are in a good condition, or just need a little fixing up, benefits the environment by avoiding the need to buy new and also diverts existing valuable materials from potentially ending up in landfill or incineration. 

People can do their bit by simply passing on the toys their children no longer play with. 

There will be plenty of opportunities to get involved as events are set to take place across Scotland over the week. Local schools and community groups are encouraged to visit the Pass it on Week website to sign up their event. 

Joshua Haynes said: “It’s more important than ever to be making better use of our resources. The effects of global warming are now here for everyone to see and it’s not a debatable possibility, it’s a very real and tangible thing. 

“We’ve got to do whatever we can to help retain the natural beauty and wonder of our world and finding out how to better use what resources and materials we already have is one of the biggest steps to achieving that goal.” 

Joshua has shared his own story of his favourite childhood toy ‘Pal’ to highlight why it’s so important to value what we already have and how passing on can make someone else’s day. 

He said: “My favourite toy as a kid was this kind of bean-bag, kind of plush puppy who I called Pal. I used to keep Pal by my side at all times whenever I was in the house – and whenever I’d go on holiday, I’d be making sure to take Pal with me.

“When I first got Pal I noticed he had some kind of damage on his front left paw. Instead of asking my mum for a new toy I saw this as something that made him really special, unique. My special dog with his hurt paw. So, because of that I wanted to take extra special care of him – which he definitely got. 

“Unfortunately, one day when going to visit my family in Liverpool, I lost Pal while on the train and never saw him again. Obviously, I was incredibly upset and a lot of phone calls were made to try and find him but with no luck. 

“Although the thing I was so upset about wasn’t the fact that I had lost my favourite toy but that I was actually more concerned that someone wasn’t going to look after him properly. In the end my mum helped me get over it by telling me that some other kid will have found him and that he would be making them happy now.” 

He continued: “Pal taught me a lot of different things growing up, for example, don’t leave your favourite toy on a train!

“But the most important thing I learned from my favourite toy was that sharing something, even if it means the world to you, can help make the biggest of impacts on someone else.” 

A study by Zero Waste Scotland found that 85% of parents say they mainly pass on the toys that their children no longer play with. Meanwhile, 81% say they would give their children a toy previously used by a friend or family member. At least 58% would give them one from a second hand shop or a resale site like eBay or Gumtree.

 Four fifths of Scotland’s carbon footprint is caused by the goods and materials that we consume, whether it is food, clothes, toys or electrical equipment. Maximising use of the materials we have will reduce the level of greenhouse gases produced. It will also protect habitats and biodiversity by reducing the demand to find and extract new materials. 

Iain Gulland, chief executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said: “Every aspect of our lives touches on the climate emergency in some way. Conserving existing resources is one of the most powerful and easiest ways to make a difference.

“Passing on old toys is a great way to share happiness, plus buying and wasting less will protect the environment and reduce Scotland’s carbon footprint. Never think you are too small to make a difference.” 

The Revolve certification, run by Zero Waste Scotland, is the national reuse quality standard given to shops selling second hand goods. Shops must meet high standards in cleanliness, safety, service and value for money to gain the Revolve certification. When customers see the logo in-store, they can be assured they are buying high quality goods. 

There are currently more than 140 shops in Scotland that carry the Revolve certification. 

For more details and to register your Pass it on Week event, visit passitonweek.com.

 Pass it on Week is part of Zero Waste Scotland’s Resource Efficient Circular Economy Accelerator Programme, which will invest £73m in circular economy and resource efficiency projects, thanks to support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Reuse Showhome to pop up in Leith

Edinburgh residents are invited to take a fresh look at reused furnishings when they view the beautiful items displayed in the ‘Reuse Showhome’ in Leith this weekend, hosted by Changeworks, Quay Community Improvements and local reuse organisations. Continue reading Reuse Showhome to pop up in Leith

I’m dreaming of … a waste-free Christmas