Policy into practice Litter and recycling
Anne Longfield
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
THE ISSUE: April is traditionally time for a thorough spring clean. But with mounting landfills it is important to look for environmentally friendly ways of parting with our rubbish.
Each year we generate about 100 million tonnes of waste from households, commerce and industry combined. Not only is this contributing to climate change - it is spoiling our landscapes and environment.
Children and young people are often among the most active when it comes to looking after the environment and speaking out about excessive consumption. Spring can be a good time to clear the clutter but can also serve as a great chance to start building positive attitudes and sustainable lifestyles in both adults and young people.
CASE STUDY 1
Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB) is this month taking the spring clean national. Throughout April, residents from all over Scotland can join a group or start their own spring-cleaning event with the National Spring Clean campaign. From nurseries to secondary schools children of all ages can get involved and clean up their local area.
To help groups get started, KSB provides a free Clean Up Kit, including tabards, posters, black refuse bags, and information on how to organise a fun-filled day. One out-of-school club turned their litter-picking venture into a treasure hunt, while other groups have enjoyed a wheelie bin race and a litter-made art exhibition.
In 2008, out of 20,000 volunteers, 15,500 were children and young people who were actively reversing the litter culture and learning about the effects of litter and waste production.
CASE STUDY 2
Children grow up quickly and the latest fashionable toy is constantly changing. With this in mind, GreenGiving.org.uk is a not-for-profit website set up and run by parents to encourage the donation and recycling of children's goods and toys to reduce the level of waste while saving money.
Starting off in Somerset, the website provides a platform for families to easily donate and pick up goods from each other. The organisation is currently relaunching the website to enable more families to exchange unwanted items nationally. Businesses are also invited to donate products and become more involved in sustainable issues within their communities.
- Anne Longfield is chief executive of 4Children.
