Charnwood Borough Council - Leading in Leicestershire

RESIDENTS have switched on to Saving Waste in the Charnwood Home at a special launch event – and helped a national charity in the process.

The Saving Waste in the Charnwood Home (SWITCH) trial began this weekend as residents in an area of Loughborough, Barrow and Quorn collected free equipment which will help reduce the amount of rubbish that is sent to landfill sites.

A clothes swap was also held during the event staged at Humphrey Perkins High School in Barrow and 12 bags of leftover garments were then donated to the British Heart Foundation.

Expert advice and information on recycling, composting and ways to reduce our waste plus various other stalls ensured SWITCH got off to the perfect start.

Kath Kay, Charnwood Borough Council’s Waste Policy Manager, said: “The launch of SWITCH was a huge success – and I was really pleased with the positive reaction we got from residents.

“SWITCH will give those living in the trial area the opportunity to reduce the amount of waste they’re sending to landfill sites by reducing, re-using and recycling – and the launch got them off to a great start.

“The clothes swap was a very popular feature of the day, which helped to raise awareness of re-use across communities. And, what’s more, all the leftover clothes were donated to the British Heart Foundation so we were able to help a very worthy cause as well.”

A total of 1,323 homes are taking part in the year-long trial and will be monitoring how much rubbish they divert from landfill by using other methods of recycling, re-use and composting, including bokashi kits, home composters, wormeries, green cones and brown garden waste bins.

SWITCH is part of the Charnwood’s Zero Waste Strategy which aims to make sure 50 per cent of all waste is recycled by 2010 – while another important aspect of the strategy is to put a stop to the growth in the amount of rubbish we produce.

Cllr Mike Preston, Charnwood Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Environment, said: “It’s very encouraging that residents are enthusiastic about this SWITCH trial.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the results. Reducing the amount of waste we send to landfill is a key priority for the Council and this initiative could play a big role in helping us hit our targets.”

For more information about SWITCH and forthcoming events, log on to www.charnwood.gov.uk/envirionment/switchtrial.html or email switch@charnwood.gov.uk