Environmental Easter Egging

Youngsters across the county are being encouraged to think green this Easter.

A series of craft events for 7-11 year olds are being held in libraries around Cumbria this week by Resource Cumbria.

They are being encouraged to come along, have fun, be creative and get some new ideas for what to do with all that Easter egg packaging. The central message will be how to reduce, reuse and recycle more this Easter.

People interested in the event need to get a free ticket from the relevant library beforehand because spaces are limited.

Dates, times and locations are as follows:

Wednesday 11th April

Barrow Library 10.30 - 11.30am

Walney Library 2.30 - 3.30pm

Thursday 12th April

Kendal Library 10.30 - 11.30am

Ulverston Library 2.30 - 3.30pm

Friday 13th April

Carlisle Library 10.30 - 11.30am

Longtown Library 2.30 - 3.30pm

Top tips on cutting down on Easter egg packaging waste:

- Make and decorate your own Easter eggs with a chocolate egg making kit. These kits can be bought in the shops and used year after year to make fantastic eggs with melted chocolate. You could even try using the egg-shaped plastic packaging that comes with many Easter eggs as a mould for more eggs.

- If you do buy Easter eggs this year, try to choose ones with as little packaging as possible. Over-packaged products tend to be more expensive and you will be left with more waste afterwards. The money you save by avoiding excess packaging could be spent on more chocolate!

- Remember that you can recycle cardboard packaging at your nearest recycling centre or put it in your home compost bin. Plastic packaging can be recycled at some plastic recycling banks (not those that only accept bottles). Metal foil can also be recycled at some recycling centres or can be saved for use in craft projects.

- If you decorate any real eggs this Easter, you can add the eggshells to your home compost bin when you finish with them. This adds minerals to your compost and helps your garden bloom. Visit resourcecumbria.org to find out how to order a discounted home compost bin.