Last week Green Lancaster explored all things waste; from visiting Farrington Waste Recovery Park, to delivering our ‘Stitch It, Don’t Ditch It’ repair cafe!

Green Lancaster Adventure: Exploring Lancashire's Recycling Processes

Ever wondered what happens to your curbside recycling? Green Lancaster got an inside view into Lancashire's Recycling Processes at the Farrington Waste Recovery Park to find the answer!

We began the afternoon with a walking tour of the site, examining the waste journey from its arrival, through sorting, to being transported away to either be made into new products or landfill. This site processes an astonishing 57,000 tonnes of household black bag waste and 54,000 tonnes of comingled recycling annually! Caroline and Janine from Lancashire County Council who delivered the walking tour were able to answer all our waste themed questions from the post-Christmas influx to machinery operation systems, and future changes to waste systems with food waste being collected by 2026!

Given that reducing food waste can reduce greenhouse gases by 8% (WWF, 2023), the UK Government’s introduction of food waste collection at most households by 2026 is a positive step forward. The site in Leyland is undergoing a new aerobic digestion development which will turn waste into energy to power the site. This will be in place in upcoming years... If currently you are interested in reducing the impact of food waste you can contact Edible Campus to use the ECOHub Ridan composter or get involved with food futures community composting scheme.

‘Stitch It, Don’t Ditch It’ repair cafe

On Friday 23rd February, we were delighted to be joined by the amazing Sewing Cafe Lancaster for our Repair Cafe in Work in Progress! Utilising their expertise and sewing needles/ threads: T-shirts, jeans and trainers were repaired or upcycled through beautiful embroidery.

We also had a community mind map where attendees could add their thoughts on ‘How can fashion be more sustainable?’ This generated a fascinating discussion among attendees about principles of circular economy in production, usage and disposal. This is important considering 100 billion items of clothing are produced each year, consuming 93 billion cubic metres of water and emitting approximately 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Passionate to take action?

Apply to be our next Don’t Ditch It Senior Supervisor or Team Leader. This project promotes a Circular Economy at Lancaster University through diverting household goods from disposal and extending the life of items via charities in the local area or on campus via Green Lancaster’s ECOShop.