The challenge is to have Zero Waste, yes ZERO! nothing leaves that cannot be recycled, composted, reused. We don’t want you to get buried under your waste. So let’s take a step back! don’t bring it in, think about what you need, where you buy your food, clothes, books, magazines, presents, some large stores consider their packaging but often it is the small local store that will reduce your waste the most, or bulk buying!

EWWR event 2012

We invited lots of folk to take part:
243 people invited
8 children [through parents or BLP employees]
4 employees [of 6 total staff]

The event was a Facebook event managed solely through Social Networking sites: FB and Twitter by invite, sharing and posting on followers sites and invitations on government and non-government organisations pages. With a drawing competition for fun to warm up children and adults! Winning drawing –

Childrens drawing – Zero Waste effects

19 guests actively participated on FB reporting their actions on the Facebook page through Likes, comments and photographs.
Here are some of the reports back we received –
Energy ASAP: “we just had solar panels installed meter running backwards already”

Waste ASAP : ‘Freecycle’ : bathroom: “When we fitted our bathroom recently, we turned to freecycle, and gumtree. All our tiles are someone elses rubbish, our sink came from a garden, and the bath was pulled from a house in Belfast. The floor was from a house in Newcastle, and the wood panels were a ceiling once. You wouldn’t believe how many folk ask where we got our bath ’cause they want one just like it”

Waste ASAP : “Managing waste is such a daily bother – I’m for reducing it as much as I can. Our household have been experimenting with this and find by buying less packaged foods, we are baking more and knowing the ingredients appeals to me too. So YES! Looking forward to it and checking in with you here….”

Bag levy report from the South of Ireland “joining in spirit,good on ye!a policy of pay for plastic bags here has reduced them greatly”

Waste ASAP : Buying local : zero packaging

Energy ASAP : Thermal cooker : saving energy

Waste ASAP : ‘Freecycle’ : bathroom!

Grow ASAP : seasonal vegetables

We requested people record amount of waste they had during the event, and are awaiting results! Though we have had good verbal reports when we followed up. All participants have reported a reduction in there unrecyclable waste, we estimate between 20-50% !! Some participants had been unclear how much they could recycle at kerbside, and at local Recycling Centres.
Significantly participants reported an change in habit with the reduction in household waste continuing to improve over the following weeks.

Many thanks to all those who participants, it was well worth it and let’s keep it up and strive for Zero Waste from home, school and workplaces!