sources of hope
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| from the ShareWaste Project website |
How the Share Waste Project works is ingenious and simple. It's a bit like matchmaking, bringing together people who have scraps they wish to recycle but no means to do it, with people living nearby who are composting, worm farming or keep chickens.
The result: diverting waste from landfill while getting to know the people around you.
Better still, no money changes hands in this process. Eli and Tomas don't make money out of the project, and it's free to register as a host or donor.
So far 3,835 composters have registered. There's a map that shows where they are, and they basically cover all the main population centres in Australia.
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| from the ShareWaste Project website |
Other people, at local government level in Greater Melbourne, have been thinking what they can do to reduce waste that doesn't degrade, like balloons, glitter and single use plastics. Scientists have shown that these materials are polluting waterways and killing wildlife.
Darebin, Melbourne, Port Philip, Banyule and Monash councils have all voted to outlaw balloons and other single use plastics from public council land. It's an educative program, and it has a lot of community support. People who ignore the ban are simply asked to remove the balloons. No fine is issued.
"We believe that taking a strong and practical stand for the environment, particularly for our wildlife and waterway health, is the right thing to do." (Bernadene Voss, Port Philip mayor)
I feel better already, and hope you do too.
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| from the ShareWaste Project website |
I am very happy indeed to read of this initiative. Whatever we can do as individuals, especially if we can inspire others, is important. Our politicians never cease to find ways to disappoint me. The whole world should ban balloons, followed very quickly by fireworks. We do our level best every day to not use single-use plastic, but sometimes in a store it is impossible to make the counter clerk understand that I do not want my deli meat in a plastic bag. One of them told me, and I am sure it is true, “This is what my supervisor tells me to do.” Why they will not permit me to take my own container for them to put it in is beyond me. It is easy to get disheartened, but we should never give up trying.
ReplyDeletethanks for this, David. We should keep trying even if the glass is less than half full.
DeleteWe have a zero waste movement here. I confess I am more reading and thinking than doing. Waiting for our Zero Waste Market to finish renovations and open again. Even with trying to avoid plastic, we still generate a daunting amount of recycling.
ReplyDeleteKitchen waste we compost, and garden waste gets chipped as mulch.
Diana, It's the generation that's the problem, like a speeding train that can't stop.
DeleteThank you. Sometimes the doom and gloom (not to mention the fertiliser) from the top weighs me down.
ReplyDeleteme too, EC. When people talk about going to another planet, it's as if when we've used this one up there'll be another.
DeleteGrassroot projects like this always inspire me and this sounds like a good one. I recently began training to become a docent with my local botanic garden. As 90% of the docent's volunteer assignment means touring the garden with children, I'm hopeful that I can translate some of my own appreciation of the natural world in general and gardening in particular to the next generation. In a huge , densely-populated city like the one I live in, many of these kids have little or no exposure to plants or even the creatures that commonly inhabit gardens.
ReplyDeleteHi Kris, what a great volunteer job. As individuals we have to think what we can realistically achieve, and imparting our values to the next gen is very important. I wonder what kind of life they will be leading when they're adults and we're compost?
DeleteWhat a nice idea. Some cities over here have neighbourhood compostbins or neighbourhood wormeries: http://buurtcompost.nl/
ReplyDeleteDenise, what a superb wormy project. Inspiring.
DeleteOld age has made me more concerned about the environment than ever I was. Today, I was scratching my head at the build up of black plastic plant pots. Apparently they are not suitable for recycling, what does one do.
ReplyDeleteI had that same problem: https://denisenoniwa.weebly.com/blog--125021252512464/een-hele-hoop-plastic-potjes
DeleteI assumed they were suitable for recycling, and have been putting them in the recycling bin. I also tried to give them to nurseries and they refused them. I'm sure they could sterilize them but I guess it would take time and money.
DeleteIt's a important theme you're writing today catmint. Here we gardeners try to utilize our waste and especially plastics. I often see people clearing areas around picking garbage in many black packets, that later are collected by special service car.
ReplyDeleteHi Nadezda, it's interesting to hear similar things happening in different countries. Here we've got a problem with waste disposal. Apparently we had been sending our waste to China but now they're not taking it any more, and it's piling up. Scary ...
DeleteThanks for this ray of hope! The Share Waste Project sounds really great! Our city provides yard/food waste dumpsters that can be filled with such things and are picked up twice a month. A company that makes compost uses this waste. However, non recyclable plastics are still quite a problem. I reuse some plastic plant pots and we have a nearby nursery that grows most of what it sells that is happy to take the rest. One can only hope that these small steps will help.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a wonderful program! It's nice to hear about something like this when our idiot-in-chief doesn't even believe in climate change.
ReplyDelete