Zero Waste week September 2020

This year LEDA took part in Zero waste week again for the second year in a row, which fell on the 7^th to the 13^th September. It was a very different experience this year, as many of us are still working from home. When we took part last year, it was possible to make clear changes to the office and work together as a group to reduce our waste. We knew that taking part whilst we were all at home would present different challenges, not least that it would have to involve more people!

After some discussion, we decided that we would still like to take part, and that to make it more manageable we could focus on one or two things in our daily lives to reduce the waste leaving our homes.

For inspiration on methods of reducing our waste we looked to Zero Waste Leeds. If you don’t already, I recommend you follow them on social media for regular tips and great advice.

Here are some of the ways we took part and the lessons we learnt…

1. One LEDA member turned to composting for the first time, and discovered that there is a method to getting it right with the correct mix of ‘greens and browns’.
2. A few LEDA members aimed to reduce their plastic waste by getting their produce fresh from local shops or in a vegetable box delivered.
3. Some LEDA members turned to baking instead of buying biscuits or cakes in packets.
4. One LEDA member told us all about their bokashi bin which tackles the big issue of food waste.
5. Another LEDA member looked for ways to recycle packaging which is not taken by the council, such as crisp packets. For more info look here.

Overall, zero waste week was a real challenge this year. The current situation means we are ordering more things to be delivered to our homes, with more packaging. Many of us found it difficult to reduce this waste. Loose vegetables and bakery items which would normally have no packaging are currently wrapped in plastic in our local shops. Looking after the environment we live in is important to us all at LEDA, so taking part in Zero Waste week helps to remind us of the small things we can do, which together can form a movement that makes big changes.