We've caught the swapping bug! Sustainable Bury launches its first Swap Shop

L-R: Pippa, Fiona & me: Some of the founding members of Sustainable Bury, at our very first Swap Shop. Photo credit: Sandy Jackson. 

I've been to several 'Swap shops' or 'Give & Take' days organised by Transition Town groups around Suffolk. the last one being being held by Sustainable Bungay in September.  I must confess that when I left that event, I was both quite jealous that Bury St Edmunds didn't have such an occasion to get the good town-folk out swapping, but also very much inspired to do something about it.

After all, in Bungay, what I witnessed was not just a great way of motivating people to declutter their unwanted items and let someone else take them home for free, but there was also a fantastic vibrant community spirit.  

Now left to my own devices, that inspiration might have remained a pipe dream due to competing priorities.  However, my visit to Bungay coincided with the gathering of like-minded folk in Bury St Edmunds - mainly in a pub - to organise a new Transition Town community group called Sustainable Bury.  As we were planning our events, I mentioned how much I'd love to bring the Swap Shop idea under our umbrella.  All it took was someone to suggest enthusiastically that we should run one just after Christmas and Bob's your uncle, the first community event for Sustainable Bury was born!  Such is the power of team-work.

The posters went up, leaflets were distributed and we received some great mentions on Radio Suffolk and excellent coverage in the Bury Free Press, but it was still quite nerve-wracking yesterday morning as we got ready for our 'big event'.  Would the good folk of Bury St Edmunds turn up?

Setting out the tables at the St John's Centre.

Thankfully, yes they did!

Including Kim, one of Bury St Edmunds' entertainment organisers.  I never did find out whether she took those funky specs home, but I really hope she did!

The idea was that people could drop off items that they no longer wanted and take anything away that they wished, for free!  If they didn't have anything to bring, they could simply leave a donation at their discretion.  Any items that were left, we simply pledged to donate them to the charity shops, dotted along St John's Street.

As with any Reuse event, the swap shop featured a real eclectic range of stuff.  I loved these little Saki cups.

And this unopened Body Shop gift pack was certainly a great find for its new owner.

As was this Past Times tea cosy. proclaiming "Where there's tea there's hope"!  That might become my new mantra.

I'm really pleased that for our first event we had around 30 people, perhaps even more.  To be honest, we were so busy listening to all the great feedback from the visitors who dropped by that it was really tricky to keep count.   In fact, the feedback that we received was so encouraging, we have decided to bring forward plans for our next Swap Shop, which we will now run in April.

I'm now looking forward to the Swap Shop becoming a regular event that supports the Reuse infrastructure in Suffolk, in a way that is truly fun and brings the community together.   For those who struggle to get stuff into town, it would also be wonderful for satellite events to be hosted by community centres and schools in the the surrounding estates and villages and I would certainly be happy to help get those rolling.

However, Sustainable Bury is not just about encouraging reuse and reducing waste, there are other great plans on the cards too.  There is a real wealth of ideas coming through, so if you have time, do check out this great piece by the Bury Free Press from yesterday's event, which also features a video of our members, sharing some thoughts about what they'd love the group to achieve.

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Sustainable Bury really is in its infancy, so while we wait for its website/blog to be created, more information can be found at the Facebook page or by following @SustainableBury on Twitter.   If you are local to Bury St Edmunds and would like to get involved,  please do get in touch via Facebook/Twitter, email me or alternatively leave a note below and I will be pleased to pass on your details to the team.  The next planning meeting is this Tuesday, 15 January, 7.30pm at the Fox Inn, in Eastgate Street.  All are welcome.

More information about Transition Towns can be found at www.transitionnetwork.org.

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Recycling swapsies and other ideas

Picklesmum swaps her cartridges for cartons.

Regular reader Picklesmum left a comment this week, saying that not only is she pleased to have discovered Tetra Pak recycling facilities locally, but that she has even encouraged her mum to bring hers with her when she visits by train so that they can also be recycled.

Even better, she is going to give her mum her Brita water filter cartridges so they can be recycled too. What a great swap, (which is why I couldn't resist including the intro to the 1970s UK children's programme which I found on You Tube - ahhh memories - forgive me won't you).

This is a brilliant example of how people are making that extra commitment to recycling, and with very little effort involved. Picklesmum's mother doesn't have a car so can't drive to the local recycling facilities and Picklesmum lives in a village that doesn't have water filter cartridge collection points, but their resolve has enabled a few more items to be recycled.

Not everyone will have the motivation, income, time, space or facilities to commit to heavily reducing their levels of waste but there are many others ways that people can make a contribution, even if it's in a small way.

So here are Almost Mrs Average's Top Ten Tips

1. Say No Thanks to plastic bags, even degradable ones.
2. Reuse any plastic bags you acquire, for example as bin bags
3. Swap just one packaged item on your shopping list for something that has no packaging.
4. Encourage your community to hold a "swap-shop" for swapping clothes, toys or books. This one is great for schools and clubs. You could even hold your own party. Clothes swap parties are becoming increasingly popular. Have a look at this Time-Out article for more details.
   
5. When you are out and about, rather than dump drinks bottles etc in the general rubbish bins, bring them home and put them in your recycling bin.
6. If you know someone who isn't able to take their recyclables along to a recycling centre, offer to take them on their behalf.
7. If you hear of good practice elsewhere, ask your council to follow suit. They may not be able to offer new facilities immediately, but by showing demand they can at least investigate.
8. Remember, your trash might be someone else's treasure. Before resigning it to landfill, think about giving it away. There are lots of ideas on The Times Eco-Worrier blog.
9. Also find out if there is a local scrap-store near you. They often welcome odds and ends that can be reused for art projects.
10. Rediscover your own creativity, as you might find another use for all your old junk. For inspiration take a look at Junkk.com and How Can I Recyle This? You'll be amazed at the ideas.
    

My favourite example of recycling/reusing has to be how Bury St Edmunds blogger John Moody swapped a pink bike with girly tassles for a boy's bike, by simply converting it himself. The obvious choice would have been to sell or give away the girly bike and buy a new one for his little boy. However John showed great commitment to modifying it and achieved a fantastic result.

However, what clinches the prize for creativity is the Ice-Cream Stick Ship, which is a project spear-headed by Robert McDonald who wants to teach children that anything is possible. Made from 15 millon ice-cream sticks and completed in 2005, the replica Viking ship set sail for England from the Netherlands on Tuesday. His crew are also hoping to sail the Atlantic, following an old Viking route to North America. Now that will be impressive!

Thanks to Kate for the tip-off. More info about the making of the ship can be found at PingMag.

Hmmm, I'm not sure whether I should be encouraging you to try this at home. Remember the high-seas are dangerous and if you are inspired to make your own canoe, yacht or even cruiseliner, please enlist the services of a professional and please remember your buoyancy aid!

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