Recycling Electricals – Remove Personal Data
By decluttering old and unused technology, you can help reduce environmental damage while raising funds for charity. Read more
In 2021, 63.2% of UK packaging waste was recycled. Sounds good right? What about the other 37% which wasn’t or couldn’t be recycled?
In West Sussex, we recycle 53% kerbside recycling, above the national average of 44%. When you recycle, you stop manufacturers using new raw materials and which also uses less energy too. However, many products can only be recycled a few times before they aren’t fit-for-purpose.
Find out where and how to recycle at home, and at local council centres. You’ll also find out what to do with hard-to-recycle items and alternatives to recycling.
Joy CarterDo you “put your face on” before leaving the house?
Do you “put your face on” before leaving the house? Most of us do. Going out bare-faced still feels like a bold move. Yet from Pamela Anderson and Alicia Keys to Helen Mirren and Bella Hadid, more people—including plenty of Sussex shoppers—are choosing to skip the make-up and embrace what’s already there. At the same time, the beauty industry […]
Crafternoons in Horsham
This October Sussex Green Living will be opening the doors to something new at the Horsham Repair Café. We are calling it Crafternoons, and the idea is simple: an afternoon each month where people can sit together, bring something they are making, and enjoy a couple of hours of creativity and company. The support of the National Lottery Community Fund has made it possible to add this new strand to our work, and we are excited to see where it leads.
Crafternoons will take place from twelve until two, alongside the usual Repair Café. The set-up is very informal. Some people might arrive with their knitting or embroidery, others with a sketchbook or some mending to do. There will be craft materials provided as well, many of them rescued or repurposed. The community café will be open for tea, coffee and cake, and the pace will be slow and sociable. Read more
Second-Hand, First Choice: Vinted Saves Money and the Planet
Written by Katie Webber
In a world of fast fashion, how can we buy sustainable clothing that is also affordable? Is Vinted the answer to saving our pockets and the planet? Everyone loves a bargain, and it’s an even bigger win when buying cheap clothes doesn’t have to compromise on quality and style. Vinted is very user-friendly for both buying and selling second-hand clothes, so you’re sure to find what you’re looking for!
Vinted is perfect for saving money as a buyer and making money as a seller and I would recommend it to everyone – whatever age, gender or style. In the UK, nearly one-quarter of the population use Vinted and I am one of them. I now buy all my clothes on Vinted and can always find what i’m looking for and at a huge discount! It’s also a great side hustle for me too. I’m able to list all my unwanted clothes in a quick and easy process to make a bit of extra cash, with no extra shipping costs for me!
From Donation to Dump: The Environmental Cost of Charity Shop Surplus
© Kevin McElvaney / Greenpeace
Written by Katie Webber
You know that big bag of old clothes you dropped off at the charity shop after having a wardrobe declutter? You probably felt a warm glow of generosity by donating your unwanted bits to a good cause (and it’s probably also a relief to get all that clutter out of sight by conveniently handing it all over to someone else, right?). What if I told you that only between 10% and 30% of second-hand donations are resold in store. What happens to all the rest?
The clothes that charity shops can’t sell are taken away and in the UK, 70% of used clothing is exported to the Global South. Once there, many clothes end up in landfills or incinerated. This has major impacts on health and the environment, including water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, worsening the strain on countries already struggling with waste management infrastructure. Read more
Exciting new family friendly event in Horsham
Press release – PLANT TO PLATE FESTIVAL – brought to you by Sussex Green Living
Press release – PLANT TO PLATE FESTIVAL – brought to you by Sussex Green LivingGrowing together – Food – Fun – Family – Free
From 10am-4pm on Saturday 26th April, Horsham will come alive to celebrate green living in Sussex – perfect for mums, dads, and little ones alike. It’s a day packed with local food, expert talks and eco-friendly fun that will inspire you and your family to live more sustainably. Spread across four unique venues in central Horsham, come along for a day of free goodies, family-friendly activities, and caring community vibes at the Plant to Plate Festival!
At the Sussex Green Hub, in the United Reformed Church, you will find advice and simple energy-saving hacks to reduce utility bills, our popular Horsham Repair Café who might help you fix that zip, clock or kettle. There will be free food stalls at the Horsham Community Fridge, our Refill Shop to top up on all of the essentials, and don’t forget to treat yourself to one of the Sussex food or drink artisan delights – of course all in line with reducing waste.
At the Unitarian Church Hall and gardens, green thumbs can get hands-on gardening tips from the experts with activities like ‘take it away’ seedlings, books and goodie stall and ways to reduce your food waste. There’s also the chance to get your hands dirty with composting and wildlife-friendly gardening advice and nature activities for the kids.
The Quaker Meeting House will play host to an array of expert talks and demonstrations, including how to avoid that problematic packaging that just can’t be recycled and ideas on how to cook tasty healthy meals that can reduce your impact on the planet.
Stop off at the Bishopric Market on your way between the venues, hosting fresh fruit, veggies, plants, and even retro pre-loved treasures for your home. Enjoy live music, meet warm-hearted community volunteers, and explore the vibrant eco float that’s been creatively refurbished to lighten our carbon footprint.
Whether you’re already deeply passionate about taking care of our planet or just starting out, the Plant to Plate Festival has something for everyone. Bring your family and friends, learn new ways to live more sustainably, and join us in building a brighter, greener future for Sussex – one plate and one plant at a time!
Mark your calendars – we can’t wait to see you there!
Recycling competition – plastic food storage containers and lids
WILLIAM PENN PRIMARY SCHOOL ASKS THE HORSHAM COMMUNITY TO HELP THEM IN THEIR EFFORTS IN A NATIONWIDE CONTEST TO WIN A PLAYGROUND WITH A FRAME MADE OF 100% RECYCLED MATERIALS
Residents of Horsham and surrounding areas can help William Penn Primary School to win a playground with a frame made of 100% recycled materials – including recycled plastic food storage containers and lids, as well as reusable plastic water bottles and caps by bringing this used waste to the school’s public collection point
The Sistema® Recycled Playground Contest is running from 12th September until 18th December 2024 and the school that collects the most amount of plastic food storage containers and lids, as well as reusable plastic water bottles and caps, in that time will be crowned the winner . Read more
Recycling Plastics
Sussex Green Living volunteers sorting the single-use plastic recycling
These Earth’s natural resources are key to our Western lives: water, air, oil, gas, coal and minerals. Perhaps we could be thinking about recycling as another resource that is about reusing these over and over again? Here are some tips as to how and where we can recycle.
Plastic Free Coronation Celebrations
During the weekend of Saturday 6th to Monday 8th May, there will be celebrations and parties all the country. Local town, Eastbourne, has put together a guide to help with the preparations and create eco-friendly events. We’re sure that King Charles would approve.
Sussex Green Living Achievements 2022
Ashington Youth Club
Well what a year 2022 was for Sussex Green Living. As we reflect on the last year and plan for the future and 2023, we thought it was worth taking a moment to share some of our achievements…
Demand for Sussex Green Living environmental education services in schools and public events has never been higher, so much so that requests for our help vastly outstripped the grants we had been awarded to be able to deliver the work in schools.
Protecting the Battery Life
“The battery won’t charge…” We hear these words very often at the Horsham Repair Cafe. It’s true that batteries don’t last forever, but we can make a drastic difference to its life expectancy. The original hybrid car, the Toyota Prius, uses a large traction battery. Many are still running 20 years later. So, how can the Prius keep the battery working efficiently for 20 years when some phone batteries only last three? Why do some household battery devices (vacuum cleaners for example) sometimes become useless after two years?
Communities take Action
Green Hub Map
You might be feeling the world is not making enough progress with serious action to address the climate and ecological crises, especially with attention being diverted to the energy and cost of living crisis. Crisis after crisis, hey! However, we are seeing a rising of communities coming together to show how being leaner and greener helps save money and the planet.
Community Collaboration at its Best
During the first lockdown in 2020 many people felt isolated. Sussex Green Living (SGL) thought it was important to connect people and to continue its work improving the environment. SGL’s Carrie Cort organised weekly online Horsham Climate Café events. Some of these attracted over 150 people, both local and from further afield. One of the aims of the café was to introduce people ‘virtually’ from the same villages and this is when the seed of Billingshurst environmental group BilliGreen was planted.
The group was started by Mela Davidson and Melanie Holliker who both wanted to create a network that boosted the local community and had a positive impact on the local environment.
Do you consider what happens to your waste? (First published in West Sussex County Times)
In West Sussex, 58.8% of an average household waste bin’s contents could have been diverted from general rubbish. Shockingly, 12.9% of the contents are items that could have been placed in kerbside recycling, and 40.5% is food waste. West Sussex County Council (WSCC) are asking us to reduce what we use, and re-use where possible. If items can’t be re-used, then recycle or compost. But what happens to the rest of our waste?
As managing our environmental impact becomes increasingly important, this is a question on many peoples’ minds. In West Sussex, all household waste is processed at two sites managed by Biffa, West Sussex Ltd. A team of our recycling volunteers recently organised visits to Brookhurst Mechanical Biological Treatment Facility and Ford Materials Recycling Facility to find out more.
Want less, Waste Less (first published in West Sussex County Times)
As mentioned in last week’s blog, a jolly band of Sussex Green Living’s recycling ‘wombles’ enjoyed a tour of Biffa Mechanical and Biological Treatment Facility at Warnham recently.
And when I say ‘enjoyed’ I really mean it! If anyone had told me even a few years ago that I would be excited about a tip trip, I would have been very sceptical – but there we are, that’s how life rolls.
Go Greener Rudgwick Recycling by Fiona Sodha (first published in West Sussex County Times)
Go Greener Rudgwick (GGR) is a group of local volunteers who meet regularly to sort single use plastics that can’t be recycled at home, but can be left in the Rudgwick Youth Centre recycling bins. We work in conjunction with Sussex Green Living in Horsham to sort and box items to be sent to Terracycle, a recycling company, to make into new products.
The plastics collected include crisp & biscuit wrappers, toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes, packaging & floss containers, biros & felt pens, household cleaning items such as marigold gloves, trigger heads, dishwasher flexible packaging, personal care & beauty products such as deodorants and empty foundation tubes, plant pots & trays, cheese wrappers and milk bottle tops.
WSCC Billingshurst Recycling Centre
We are delighted to report that a second reuse shop has opened in Billingshurst. The first being Horsham *
Background
Biffa have a opened a small Reuse shop at the Billingshurst Recycling Centre to save bric a brac, homeware, bikes (sold as seen) and furniture, including garden furniture, from going to waste. Items can be donated at this site as well as there being a shop outlet for patrons to purchase items which have been donated.
The goal is to take items that could potentially go to waste and give them a new lease of life at affordable prices, reducing the amount of household goods that end up wasted whilst allowing people to buy affordable, good quality furniture, garden items and homeware without getting into debt.
This venture has been soft launched by Biffa and has not been actively promoted to residents at this stage. Read more
Fashion to Die For ! (first published in West Sussex County Times)
Last month London Fashion week was held. There’ll be another in June.
Fast fashion is absolutely one of THE most polluting and damaging industries on the planet, second only to oil, and here in the little UK we are actually one of the worst countries in world for creating most waste clothing. The dying process alone uses huge amounts water that is sorely needed for food crops, and is often discharged into rivers without being cleaned up – much like our raw sewage is now being discharged into Sussex rivers.
Yes, we can donate clothes, but increasingly it is becoming like plastic rubbish- often “recycled” by transporting it to another, poorer country where it lies in a heap, unusable, partly because the cheap mixed fibres are unrecyclable. Natural pure fibres like linen, bamboo, hemp, wool and cotton can be re-used more easily (as can unblended clothes made only from polyester.) Read more
Southwater TerraCycle recycling drop-off
♬♫♪ We’ve got a Brand New Sussex Green Living Terracycle drop-off location in Southwater!* ♬♫♪
Here in West Sussex we’re very fortunate in that West Sussex County Council take a wide variety of materials in our kerbside bins for recycling. At present, however, there are a number of things they can’t yet take that can be recycled. This can be frustrating for those of us who are keen recyclers. A group of those frustrated parties, including Sussex Green Living, Southwater Church, Southwater Beavers and Southwater Scouts, (to name but a few), have got together with Terracycle to tackle some of this waste-that-isn’t-waste. In addition to the clothes bank already there, Southwater Church now has two more recycling collection bins up by the Church Rooms on Church Lane.
The first bin is for crisp & snack packets only – all brands and all sizes.
The second bin is for
• Ballpoint pens, felt tips, biros, correction fluid, markers, glue sticks and highlighters
• Plastic wrapping for; sweet biscuits, cakes, crackers, chocolate, popcorn & nuts
• Fruit & Vegetable baby food pouches – Ella’s Kitchen and other brands (no pet food pouches please!)
• Plastic Milk Bottle Tops
• All other plastic container tops (metal lids can be recycled in kerbside Blue Bins)
• Plastic Air fresheners: cartridges and packaging Read more
Local Locations for TerraCycle® recycling single use plastics by Rob Fryatt (first published in West Sussex County Times)
Local Locations for TerraCycle® recycling single use plastics
“The bins are ready and labelled. All bags (canvas for mixed recycling and large 300 litre black sacks for the crisps and snacks) are ready to go. I’ll bring them down on my way to The Horsham and Shipley Community Project to save an extra car journey.”
Thus sayeth the Womble.
Across the district, the Sussex Green Living partnership with TerraCycle® continues to increase local recycling points in the villages. Crisp packets, biscuit wrappers, toothbrushes, baby food, popcorn bags, disinfectant trigger pumps, pens and more are recycled to produce a wide range of products from park benches and road side bollards to children’s playground equipment. Read more
Lets visualise Horsham in 2030 together
At our next Sussex Green Ideas online meeting, on July 21st at 7.00pm, we will be useing two books to help identify what Horsham District groups could usefully build now – and by 2030.
Chris Goodall – “What do we need to do now?” (discussed at Steyning Green Books 6/5/21 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrxFSLl9tsw). Chris explained a number of uncomfortable truths relating to food and agriculture (one quarter of the world’s emissions), travel, domestic buildings and clothing (fast fashion)
He then identified what local groups could do, focusing also on working together and making lives better. We have chosen to focus on food, agriculture and clothing in our meeting*.
In the first part, we will look at his suggestions for:
Food and agriculture – He suggested The Kindling Trust as a model of community horticulture.
Clothing. He suggested The Clothing Warehouse Ltd as a model for recycling clothes (and household textiles). And initiatives that improve sewing skills (like our Horsham Repair Cafe) and use alternatives to cotton. We are going to be joined by Karrie Mellor one of our trustees and the founder of Bags of Support, a West Sussex textile recycling initiative run for social and environmental purpose. Read more
An economy fit for people and planet
Have you heard about the circular economy or the doughnut economy? It was the focus of the Horsham Climate Cafe presentation on Saturday 6th February 2021. The speaker, an expert in the circular economy, Peter Desmond from Rethink Global and founder of Fairer World Lindfield. Peter is also a fellow Climate Reality Leader – Peter […]
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