In the news in 2013

The Great Upcycling Challenge - winners story

The Great Upcycling challenge started on Sat 25th October. The public were encouraged to turn up at the Op Shop`s free to a good home event and choose an item of preloved furniture to take away and upcycle into something more useful and pleasing to the eye.

The winner was Barry Alcock with his upcycled Cumbrian coffee table. Here are Barry`s words on how he went about the transformation.

`We went along to the Carlisle upcycle challenge event with two children and an open mind. After a rummage around dozens of chairs, sofa`s and wardrobes we settled on a particularly fetching black ash dining table. The cost? a whopping £6, it even fitted in the boot of the car so we could take it home straight away. Bonus points for picking up the classic board game `perfection` too!

Back at the shed, we gave the table a quick rub over with sandpaper and stuck with our original plan, to turn it into an oversized coffee table. After checking the height of an existing coffee table, we found a sensible line to cut the legs down to. After using the bluntest saw this side of a bread knife and a bit more sanding, we were ready for paint.

At the upcycle event we`d watched a demonstration using a grey chalk paint which looked like it would work well. The following weekend we set about tracking down the paint, watching with alarm as our youngest made short work of getting the lid off a very fetching dark blue tester pot. Fair to say we made a hasty retreat from Cockermouth paint shop, but without our paint - ordered that online for home delivery.

Paint arrived (Paris grey, for those interested), and went on a treat. Three coats later and I`m pleased with the final result, for now, I`ve got plans to paint a local area map on the top!

Barry, Amy, Millie and Josie

Barry wins £50 of Sainsburys vouchers. Congratulations on a job well done.

Join the food waste revolution

Households can now dispose of their kitchen waste in a much greener manner, thanks to a new initiative that has been launched.

Residents in Allerdale, Barrow and Eden will all be able to get home food waste digesters at a fraction of the normal cost under the scheme being run by the Cumbria Strategic Waste Partnership, which comprises the county council and six district councils.

The project has been made possible after Cumbria County Council successfully applied for £606,000 funding, on behalf of the Cumbria Strategic Waste Partnership, from the Department for Communities and Local Government`s Weekly Collection Support Scheme.

The three districts have been specifically chosen as they still operate a weekly waste collection.

Around 6,500 households will have the opportunity to buy heavily discounted food digesters which are garden-based units similar to compost bins, capable of taking all kinds of food waste, including cooked and uncooked meat, fish and dairy products.

Putting kitchen waste in the food digesters is really good for the environment - it will not only reduce the need to collect and treat up to 1,300 tonnes of waste each year, but also reduce carbon emissions by up to 4,600 tonnes per year.

The food waste digesters were launched last week at roadshows at:

  • Dunmail Park, Workington.
  • Sainsbury`s, Penrith.
  • Tesco, Barrow.

All three roadshows took place between 10am and 2pm, and council staff were on hand to discuss the scheme and explain how the food digesters work.

Councillor Clare Feeney-Johnson, Cumbria County Council Cabinet member for Environment, said: "We know from public feedback that these food digesters are really sought after, so I`m delighted we`ve secured funding to make them available at a fraction of the normal price.

"By using these units to treat food waste within the home, households will not only reduce their carbon footprint but also help us to make significant savings on waste treatment costs."

Councillor Mike Tonkin, Environment Portfolio Holder for Eden District Council and chair of the Cumbria Strategic Waste Partnership, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for people to make a real difference to the environment and I hope as many people as possible will sign up for the scheme. Food digesters are a much greener way of disposing of your kitchen waste, and mean less waste will be going into your blue bags."

The Cumbria Strategic Waste Partnership has appointed Great Green Systems Ltd to manufacture and distribute the food digester units.

Two types of food digester units are available - the Green Johannas and Green Cones.

The Green Johanna is designed to sit in a shady part of the garden and can take all sorts of cooked and uncooked food waste as well as a proportion of garden waste. It produces a compost which can be used in the garden. The Green Johanna has a recommended retail price of £108.90 but will available to households at a cost of just £20.

The Green Cone is the right choice for anyone who is less green fingered. It is designed to sit in a sunny position of a well-drained garden. Unlike the Johanna, the cone needs to be dug into the garden. Once again it accepts all cooked and uncooked food waste which is dropped into the underground digestion chamber - nature does the rest reducing the contents to its natural components of water and carbon dioxide. The Green Cone normally costs £79.50 but is available for just £15.

For more information about food waste digesters, visit www.recycleforcumbria.org. Householders can purchase a unit directly from Great Green Systems either by posting an order form, calling freephone on 0800 013 1304 or online at www.greatgreensystems.com/promotions/ggscumbria. Order forms are available from council offices and local libraries.

Cumbria County Council`s Cabinet have approved plans to distribute heavily discounted home food waste digesters to around 6,500 Cumbrian households, giving household the chance to become even greener and potentially saving the council £43k per year.

Householders in Allerdale, Barrow and Eden will have the opportunity to receive the digesters, and the £606k project will be funded by money from the Department for Communities and Local Government, which the county council has successfully bid for. The three districts chosen are being targeted specifically as they still operate a weekly waste collection.

The food digesters operate in a similar fashion to traditional home composting units and can handle all types of food waste, including cooked and uncooked food, meat, fish, bones and vegetables - eventually producing compost. The units, which have a 10 year life span, will be available for households to purchase at a discount of 75% - approximately £15-£20.

The units will reduce the need to both collect and treat up to 1,300 tonnes of waste per year, the equivalent to 1% of the county`s residual waste, and will reduce carbon emissions by approximately 4,600 tonnes per year. It is estimated that their usage could save the council around £43k per year in waste treatment costs.

Following Cabinet approval the county council will carry out a procurement exercise to purchase the food waste digesters. The successful bidder once chosen will undertake order fulfilment, including handling requests for digesters from householders and ensuring delivery of the units to properties. More information will be available on the council`s website once a contractor is in place.

Jim Savege, Corporate Director for Environment, said: "This is a great investment for the county council, which should significantly reduce our landfill costs whilst also having a positive impact on the environment. Being able to offer such a large discount on the cost of the units makes them very affordable for households, and I hope will make them more attractive to buy. Given the success of home composting in the county I`m expecting a lot of interest in this initiative."


If you have a question about resources or recycling please call one of the following numbers
Cumberland Council: 0300 373 3730
Westmorland & Furness Council: 0300 373 3300
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