Recycling Projects Updated: 10/ 04
WHERE DOES ALL THE RUBBISH GO? Last year 170,000 tonnes of household waste were landfilled in Cambridgeshire: with more and more people and houses in the future, our waste is becoming a serious problem. Roots & Shoots wants to help improve recycling facilities for students at Anglia Ruskin University.
What's it all about?
In October 2006, in collaboration with Victoria Kelso, Recycling Education Officer at Cambridge City Council, ten Roots & Shoots members visited the 500 acre Donarbon landfill and composting site. The landfill was not a pretty site. Each cell is a large, 15m deep pit full of rubbish covered by clay and other protective materials. Each cell holds about 200,000 square metres of rubbish. Sea gulls hover around it looking for food. It looks sad and makes you reflect on how much waste we produce… It takes only one year to fill one cell up and then a new pit needs to be excavated.
Once you have seen the masses of rubbish being delivered there, you have no doubt that to recycle waste, in one way or another, makes a lot of sense. Luckily, about 55% of all waste from construction, demolition and businesses that arrives at the Donarbon site is recycled. Glass bottles are crushed into an aggregate that is then used as concrete, tarmac or drainage material, car tyres are used to drain the landfill cells and food/garden waste is composted and used as soil improver in agricultural projects.
Since this visit, Roots & Shoots has been committed to improve recycling facilities at Anglia Ruskin University, both at the campus itself and in students’ homes.
Further to the introduction of recycling last September in Peter Taylor and Swinhoe, and mainly thanks to the efforts of Anglia Ruskin Utilities Officer Carla Stannard , we are currently recycling around 22% of the waste which is a great achievement and has avoided this being sent to landfill!
Get your kitchen caddy!
If you live in Cambridge come and see us at Soup on The Run (every Tuesday in teaching weeks, The Street, Helmore Building, 11.50-13.30) to get a free kitchen caddy (except Halls of Residence students). The caddies can be used to collect all your food waste to empty into your green bins.
If you are missing a green bin, contact Cambridge City Council on 01223 458282.
Recycle your plastic bottles!
You are now able to recycle your plastic bottles in the restaurants and cafes at the Cambridge campus! Just look out for the blue bins provided!
If you have time, do join us at any Soup on The Run to campaign for more recycling awareness at Anglia Ruskin!
If you have any questions or comments about recycling, e-mail us at rootsandshoots@angliastudent.com
up
© CRS 2006 | www.srcf.ucam.org/curas/cambridge | 04/11/06 |
Website:Simon Pitt