Please vote for The Rubbish Diet in celebration of reaching the Brilliance in Blogging shortlist BiBs

Click the BiB badge to vote.

I am absolutely chuffed to bits to hear the news that The Rubbish Diet has been shortlisted in this years Brilliance in Blogging Awards, organised by BritMums, and especially so because its been included in the Commentary category.

This category features blogs that highlight causes, either through raising awareness or funds, and which are a force for positive change. Topics might be global, local or personal. Whatever the cause, the bloggers shortlisted in this category have been chosen for doing more than their bit, and helping others get involved too.  So to have been nominated alongside so many great bloggers is a real honour.

This news comes at a particular exciting time, having just launched the extension to this blog, i.e. The Rubbish Diet Challenge website, which finally gives people a toolkit to reduce their waste wherever they are, and properly pulls together the learning and experiences of blogging about waste over the last five years.  With over 190 online sign-ups to the challenge (and another 80 offline) in the first 10 days of what has been very much a soft launch, the new site has quickly become the official new home of The Rubbish Diet. 

And its also become a portal for tracking localised Rubbish Diet projects that are taking place around the country, starting with Suffolk, Shropshire and very soon Powys, sharing skills and local knowledge that can help householders reduce their waste by on average 50% in just eight weeks.  With Wiltshire Wildlife Trust having successfully rolled out the Rubbish Diet as part of their waste reduction campaign and the BBC Radio Suffolk Rubbish Diet recently launched in my neck of the woods, this year feels like a real milestone.  Its no longer just me anymore and that makes me feel like doing a happy dance.

So, if you like what were doing in helping to put waste higher up the agenda and empowering households and communities to pull-together to slim those bins, please vote for the Rubbish Diet in the Commentary category.  That really would be smashing!

And on behalf of my new team, i.e. my merry band of Bin Doctors, Id like to thank you for your support.

Of course, should we win...  well be sure to recycle the celebratory Champagne bottle as well as the metal cap, the twisty wire thing, the aluminium wrapping, cork and all!

Voting closes on 12th May.

Read More..

WEETF debating the future of UK waste policy

Two days ago I was privileged to attend the Westminster Energy, Environment and Transport Forums (WEETF) keynote seminar: The future of UK Waste Policy.

OK, I admit that it might not sound the most rivetting of days out for many, but for a blogging waste geek like me, it was a real opportunity to witness first hand the priorities of those who have a direct influence on the way in which the UK will protect the worlds natural and material resources.


The Forum, which runs conferences and seminars in London aims to provide the "premier environment" for policy makers in Parliament, Whitehall and government agencies to engage with key stakeholders.

And indeed it was a seminar that brought together an impressive range of representatives from many relating sectors.  These included academia, government, retail, local authorities, waste management companies, anaerobic digestion specialists, waste reduction consultants, the energy from waste sector and anti-incineration networks.  It was probably the most widespread range of interested parties and stakeholders that Ive ever witnessed in one room, since I started The Rubbish Diet blog three years ago.  There was also representation from emerging market investors amongst the delegate list.  Now thats a sector I dont come across every day.

Chaired in turn by Barry Gardiner MP (Member, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee) and Lord Redesdale, Chairman, (Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Assocation), the event presented a plethora of professional opinion addressing topics that included The UKs record on waste management, delivering a zero waste economy by 2014, comparing waste policies in England and Scotland, the role of energy recovery in the future of waste management and the view from Wrap.

It was quickly acknowledged by industry expert Paul Levett, that the most useful tool in reducing waste has been the Landfill Tax, the impact of which will continue to have a positive effect as it rises towards £80 per tonne in 2014.  Paul Levett also stated that private investment had been successful in the municpal sector, but as municipal waste represented one third of the countrys arisings, investment was also needed in other sectors too.  What particularly stood out for me was his view that waste should stop being a political issue and draw a cross-party consensus.  Frankly, I couldnt agree more, especially as many of the goal-scoring antics amongst political egos are often more effective at delaying the essential than moving as quickly as we should towards necessary solutions.

Although unable to provide actual detail of Defras Waste Review, which wont be published until later this month,  Neil Thornton Defras Director of Climate, Waste and Atmosphere (cool job title, by the way) highlighted the key drivers for the waste review, which included:

• The new government & new economic backdrop, including localism and Big Society policies
• The coalition programme and Defras revised business plan
• The need to agree goals for 2014-20, setting the path towards a zero waste economy
• Exploring voluntary responsibility deals amongst businesses and Climate Change Act powers for household charging
• Promotiing increased Energy from Waste through anaerobic digestion.

While Neil Thornton highlighted that there are now 173 local authorities collecting five or more dry recyclables at the kerbside (helping to reduce the average annual residual waste per person by 76kg since 2006/07), he also stated that a key tool in waste reduction will be the introduction of the Waste Hierarchy as a legal obligation in the UK.  This means that the new Waste (England & Wales) Regulations 2011 (effective from September) will put a legal obligation on businesses and local authorities to place Waste Prevention Plans as a priority in their operations.  This will affect businesses that produce waste, import or export waste, carry or transport waste, keep or store waste, treat waste, dispose of waste and those that operate as waste brokers or dealers.

It is expected that waste policy changes will also see

• a move towards a zero waste economy
• a more sustainable use of materials, 
• improving services to businesses and households
• more voluntary approaches, 
• better targeted systems for enforcement
• a smallerdifferent role for central government, putting more decisions into the hands of local communities and civil society
• waste management becoming a very important part of the green economy.

Simon Aumônier, waste life cycle expert and partner at Environmental Resources Management  emphasised that waste prevention must be a top priority for future policy, highlighting the embodied impact (i.e. Raw materials, transport and production) of products and produce that are wasted.  The significance of this issue was later reinforced by Richard Swannell of Wrap, who illustrated the point with an example of the humble burger, stating that 2,400 litres of embedded water is required for just one 150 gram beefburger.  Working with WWF, Wrap has also calculated that food waste amounts to 6,200 billion litres of embedded water per year and clothing waste comes in at 2,400 billion litres.

This theme of Waste Prevention was echoed by Bob Gordon, Head of Environment at the British Retail Consortium (BRC), who highlighted how the brands and retailers that signed up to the Courtauld Commitment have in 5 years prevented 1.2 million tonnes of food and packaging waste and are continuing to make further reductions.  Commenting on pressures facing local authorities from certain public and political quarters to return to weekly rubbish collections he stated that this would be at odds with what the government is trying to achieve.

From a Zero Waste perspective, it was refreshing to hear Claudia Kuss-Tenzer, Research and Policy Programme Manager at Waste Watch, highlight that Zero Waste policies should be defined as Zero Waste and not "Zero Waste to Landfill".  She also called on government to support the Friends of the Earth ambitions to cut residual waste by 50% by 2020.

One of this years most surprising and exciting developments to hit the waste and recycling sector was also introduced at the seminar, by Roy Brown, CEO of nappy recycling company Knowaste. With over 20 years experience in Canada, the company is launching the UKs first specialist recycling facility for absorbant hygiene waste, which includes disposable nappies, adult incontinence and feminine hygiene products, using state-of-the-art technology to create quality plastics and fibres.

Its first UK plant will be completed in West Bromwich this summer, with facilities to recycle 36 tonnes of absorbent hygiene products per annum. The plastics output will be used for products such as roof tiles, seed trays and "plastic timber" for the landscaping and construction industries, whereas the fibres can be reclaimed for green energy fuel or sterilised and recycled for use in corrugated board, blow moulded packaging (replacing polystyrene packaging), seeding mulch and as fillers in the construction industries.

Knowaste contracts will initially be through the commercial sector but the company also has plans to target the residential sector too, with solutions to recycle 750 tonnes of waste thats generated through municipal waste per year.   Roy Brown stated that they had been attracted to the UK by drivers such as the Landfill Tax and the move towards a Zero Waste economy.  Announcements about new plants that the company plans to roll out across the UK will be made at the RWM exhibition in September.

While the government is aiming for 50% recycling targets for 2020 in England, Zero Waste Scotland, represented by Iain Gulland has its sights on 75% by 2025.  The organisation provides a range of support programmes, campaigns and other interventions to help people and organisations on the journey to Zero Waste and is promoting resource efficiency as a key theme with benefits of creating a low carbon economy, better economic performance and material security. Alongside this it is also calling for more producer responsibility.

The seminar continued with the role of energy recovery technologies, including much debate around anaerobic digestion (AD), gasification of dry waste and EfW plants, with representation from Hayley Conboy, Policy Adviser for Environment at the CBI, who highlighted the importance of recovery technologies to the waste landscape. 

Michael Chesshire (Technology Director at BiogenGreenfinch) who was introduced by Lord Redesdale as the "Godfather of AD",  detailed how processing food waste through such technology not only is a vital process for creating biofertilers and biomethane energy, but this waste stream is also proving to be very effective in reducing waste arisings.  He also commented on how anaerobic digestion is very scalable and that food waste plants can offer a combined use for farm slurries and crop waste, highlighting the benefits for farmers.

Professor Jim Swithenbank, Chairman, Sheffield University Waste Incineration Centre, presented the role of thermal technologies in using non recyclable waste residues to "mitigate UK energy poverty and climate change" and called for the government to place a priority on district heating and combined heat and power (CHP).  He stated that one tonne of waste was equal to one barrel of oil.

Jane Green, of the Zero Waste Alliance UK, added a word of caution for local authorities going down the incineratorenergy from waste route and that was concern for the impact on levels of sorted recyclates and confliction with the waste prevention message.

Having been catapulted into the waste scene three years ago, when waste was most definitely considered a very negative problem, there is an air about the sector that has transformed the landscape into one of great opportunity. Listening to talk of resource efficiency, economic development and green technologies depicted a scene of hope, underpinned by legislation that is taking this issue very seriously indeed.

This was reinforced by Lord Resedales closing comments, highlighting that politicians are now taking a real interest in waste and that is going to the key issue of the next five years, having moved significantly up the agenda.  He also added that energy prices are going up 20% this year and from now we will see a close connection between the areas of waste, energy prices and resource management.

It will no doubt be a sector rife with commercial opportunities as pre-existing and emerging players ptich for new opportunities and fight for survival over the next few decades.  I just now hope that the solutions that shine through will be those that are best for the environment, the economy AND our societies and that the voice of local communities will play a key role in the future of waste.

This blogpost serves only as a summary of Thursdays seminar.  For full details, transcripts, along with delegate lists and speaker biographies can be ordered from the Westminster Energy, Environment and Transport Forum.

Other publications to look out for through June are Wraps new business plan, which will be published on Tuesday and the long awaited Waste Review, which will be published by Defra soon after.

___________________________________________________

Read More..

Mothers for other mothers please help all you can this Mothers Day

Natasha Kaplinksy, one of the supporters of the Missing Midwives campaign

I really wish you could have been in the room with me yesterday.

I attended Save the Childrens press conference for the launch of its Missing Midwives report, a report that highlights the discrepancies around the world in something so natural as childbirth and the deaths that occur, simply by not having the necessary healthcare or education available.

I know this subject is "off topic" for a blog that normally discusses waste, but poverty is another issue about which I am very passonate and I believe that in many ways the subjects are connected simply through the imbalances that exist between the wealth of developed countries and the poverty of the under-developed world.  Yesterdays event certainly highlighted these contrasts.

Just before the press conference started, I had an unexpected opportunity to interview broadcast journalist Natasha Kaplinksy, who is one of the high profile supporters adding their voice to the campaign.  I asked her to tell me more about the issues and what ordinary people like me can do.

Natasha began by introducing the most appalliing statistic that around the word 1000 women and 2000 babies die every single day, for what she describes as "for just the want of a bit of extra bit help".  She went on to highlight the fact that at birth, there exists the greatest contrast between the developed and under-developed world in that just 1% of women in the uk give birth alone compared to 94% in countries such as Ethiopia.  Perhaps the most startling statistic of all was that in Rwanda 400,000 babies born every year yet there are only 46 midwives across the whole country.  By contrast in the UK there are 26,825 working midwives helping to support 749,000 births per annum. Now thats a statistic that makes me feel lucky.



As a mother of  two children delivered safely by health professionals in the UK, of which one was a very long and complex birth, I cant even imagine what it must be like facing childbirth without any medical support.  However, having attended yesterdays conference, I can now see how something that is such a joyous occasion for many women and their families could easily be described as a death sentence for many more.  And experts such as the Royal College of Midwives Frances Day-Stirk, are calling for action and education to make more midwives and healthcare professionals available worldwide and to tackle the Millennium Development Goals that are committed to reducing both child and maternal mortality

Frances Day-Stirk, Vice-President of the International Confederation of Midwives

and Director of Learning, Royal College of Midwives.

 
The message that came through yesterday, which was really loud and clear, was that the solutions that need to be put in place arent complex and as a global society we can make a difference.

Justin Forsyth, Chief Executive of Save the Children UK said,

“We are calling on rich and poor country governments to put health workers at the heart of their plans. World leaders pledged to do just that last year, but now they need to deliver the funds and political will to support this pledge. Without it, mums and babies will continue to die needlessly every day.”

As I listened to the tales of those who had visited some of the countries that need help, I could understand how such action could make a real impact, whether its training more midwives to help with births or providing mothers with home-birth kits that include something simple as a sterilised razor blade to cut their own umbilical chord without risk of infection.  Yes, many new mothers really have to do such a thing and a clean blade can make a huge difference to reducing the child and maternal mortality rates.

Justin Forsyth, CEO Save the Children, Natasha Kaplinsky, Dervla Kirwan and Midwife Suzanne 

describe their visits to affected countries that need better healthcare provision.

Returning to my initial interview with Natasha Kaplinksy, as our family puts in place arrangements to celebrate Mothers Day tomorrow, its her words that strike a real chord with how that fits into our global society. And thats "That we remember how lucky we are and that we can make a difference. We can all make a difference, by making small changes to our lives we can save other peoples lives.  Its such a small thing they need."


She also added, "The statistics blur the reality because they are so huge, but if we think about helping one person at a time, that really does make a difference. We just need to remember that a mother in any of those countries loves their child as much as we do and every mother wants the best for their child".

And thats what really caught in my throat. I cant speak for anyone else, but when I see those awful images on TV, I just see tragic pictures of suffering thats so immense it seems beyond our control and so far away.  However if it were our friends or family that suffered the same lack of care, wed be able to kick up much more of a fuss.

But I do feel optimistic that as individuals we can enable change and Im saying this not to just readers from the UK but to visitors I know who come from across the world too.

Of course, Save the Children offices around the globe will always value any fundraising initiatives and donations that can support urgent causes like this, especially as for every £100 raised it means a midwife can be trained.  However, they would also value any part you can play in raising the issue with your own government representatives too. With the United Nations summit taking place this September, your voice can help world leaders to pledge their political will and the funds to go with it, raising the profile of this issue when it comes to money that might already be ringfenced for development aid.  Emailing your MP, Senator or whatever their official title may be, is a simple action that most of us can do, as well as sharing relevant links on Facebook and Twitter to spread awareness amongst our friends online.

But Ive only been able to share a tiny glimpse here.  For more details, you really should take a look at the Save the Children website, where there is much more information about the Mothers for Other Mothers campaign as well as a full copy of the Missing Midwives report.

And to see the inspirational impact that Save the Children has, please do watch this video. In a world so large, investment in 350,000 midwives shouldnt be beyond our international capabilities, should it?

________________________________________________________

Missing Midwives is part of Save the Childrens No Child Born to Die campaign.  Save the Children helps tackle child poverty in the UK and in over 120 other countries. More information about the charitys achievements and how you can support its work can be found at www.savethechildren.org.uk.
________________________________________________________

Read More..

Roasted tomato soup madam Oh yes please

Bernadette, one of the owners of Saints Cafe, where they always provide a friendly welcome.

 

 

 

 

 

As well as its great food, the one thing I especially love about Saints is the fabulous atmosphere and very warm welcome. Its the kind of place where the owners and staff let you get on with your business in a non-intrusive manner, but if youre the type to seek out some friendly chat and humorous banter, theres plenty on offer, to make this one of the most engaging eateries in town.  

So, can you imagine how delighted I am to have a valid excuse to dine out at Saints Cafe to celebrate the National Zero Waste Week awareness campaign.  Its like home from home, but without having to do the cooking. And Im here all week, learning some great tips in using up perfectly healthy ingredients that might not be obvious to an average householder. 

And todays lesson is the humble tomato, which when freshly delivered is great for summer salads but when the sides soften dont look so great on the plate. 

In the past, I would have just chucked out any tomato that didnt sport firmness worthy of a six-pack, but  I now know better and have since boiled up plenty of very ripe tomatoes to serve up an unidentifiable "Cannard Creation".   Anything to avoid waste, even if it did mean Id be sat on my lonesome at the dining table. 

What Ive really needed is a good dash of inspiration so when Engin at Saints told me that todays "pot luck" lunch was Roasted Tomato Soup, both my tastebuds and imagination jumped for joy.  No sooner had I sat down and settled myself in getting ready to blog and have a natter on Facebook, Kathryn arrived with the soup and accompanying garlic bread.

So for a proper look at what was on todays "pot luck" menu, and a game of  "guess the ingredients" heres the close-up shot!  Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Roasted Tomato Soup, courtesy of Saints.

Being a tomato lover, this soup was just the ticket for my first day in the cafe.  It was delicious, full of mediterranean flavour and the texture was just perfect, and I managed to grab Engin for a quick run-down of  ingredients....although I am quite proud of myself that I guessed most of them, even if there was one ingredient that totally suprised me.

Aside from the vine tomatoes, which were roasted in olive oil for 20 minutes, the other vegetables included onions, carrots, celery, all softened on the hob with olive oil to release their flavour.  And the surprise vegetable was potato, which Engin introduced as the ingredient "no soup should be without" due to its fantastic thickening properties.

With the skins removed, the roasted tomatoes and pan juices were added to the softened vegetables and brought to the boil in a pan of regular home-made vegetable stock, seasoned with fresh coriander, a touch of basil, some parsley, salt & pepper and simmered for 20 minutes.  It was then whizzed up (my words not Engins) and served with some fresh cream and a sprig of parsley.

So how easy is that!  Its definitely something I have the confidence to recreate at home.  And while Ive been typing up this blogpost, Ive already been contemplating this soup as a great rescue recipe for some squashy tomatoes and bendy carrots I have at home, as well as some onions and potatoes that have begun to soften.

The only problem is, those soft potatoes I mentioned.....well, er, I have an awful feeling that in my hurry to exit my holiday lodge at Center Parcs this morning I left them in one of the kitchen cupboards. My only hope is that I left my husband there to pack up the car while I dashed off to take the kids to school.

So as I end this post with a keen desire to make Roasted Tomato Soup at home tonight, the mystery of the potatoes might just thwart me.  And given that my hubby was close to throwing them in the compost bin last week when all they needed was a wash and the eyes removed, Ive got a feeling that if he had found them, he might have left them there.

Oh well.  Thatll get me back to the drawing board then.

In the meantime, my huge thanks go to Engin and Bernadette at Saints for a fabulous Day 1.  I look forward to coming back to see whats on the menu tomorrow.

______________________________________________________

Its not too late to join in the National Zero Waste Week.  For more information about how you can get involved, visit www.myzerowaste.com.

Read More..

Back with some renewed pithe and vinegar just white please

Well, as I read over the last scant entries over the past year or so, Im bemused and humbled by my weight loss journey.

Since reaching my BMI in Sept 2009 of 140, I reached 180 lbs (I know, I know!) in August of this year.

Call it dietary laziness and greed.  I reverted back to my same old bad habits and paid for it dearly.

Back came the unlimited quantities of wine and spirits - especially during the summers around the pool.  Be damned were the healthy portions and food selections, when pizza and carbs abounded in the work cafeteria.

Its amazing how arrogant you become when you shed the pounds, look and feel great, and think that youre invincible to the almighty calorie.

So, after spending this summer feeling ugly in my own skin - with back flab and muffin-top rolls casting an unsightly silhouette on my bikini-clad frame, I enrolled back on the strict diet.

As you faithful readers know, I dabbled back on and off Bernstein a few times over the last year.  Id creep up to 160-165 and think its better to shed these few pounds than let it get out of hand.  However, I just couldnt get motivated and stay strict on the diet.  I blame peanut butter actually.  I missed it so much in the first round that once I reached my goal weight it became a loving staple in my day.  So, strict was difficult for me.

I had to find my resolve back.  I had to get serious.

I think when I saw 179-180 on the scale, I almost had a heart attack.  I could no longer be blind to the reality that I had let things go beyond my control.

From my lovely new size 8-10 wardrobe came some new pieces into my closet.  A few size 12 capris and even a size 14 for "that time of the month."  And here I swore I would never see those numbers again - and they were even feeling tight!

On August 18, 2011, I re-enrolled at my clinic.  What a surprise though - a whole new crop of nurses and staff.  A nice change - some new faces.  Actually, I think having new staff helped me to motivate myself.  They didnt know me - they didnt know my past success and failure.  I didnt need to feel embarassed that I had let myself slip.  It could be a fresh start with them.  It made the transition back easier.

So since the 18th Ive lost 12 lbs.  Ive had a few good 2++ burning days, but I still struggle to stay strict.  Its not as easy this time - knowing whats lurking in my cupboards (aka peanut butter.)  I have cheated a few times because I seem so much hungrier this time.  However, Im committed to making it work.

I think what is a motivator for me is that I paid for 2 months upfront.  With that kind of financial commitment, it helps me keep focused.  I mean, why would I purposely want to literally "piss" $1,100 down the drain for a mere trace, or no ketosis at all?  However, as Im occasionally tempted in the evenings to fill my belly with a bun or extra melba toast, I will need to make myself a little card with the reminders as to why Im doing this.  Otherwise, I cant seem to summon enough willpower to resist incidental cheating, and sabotage the diet and my success.

A vicious circle....

Anyway - heres Round II of the program.

Wish me luck!

Read More..

Recycled Paint Yes please!

Anyone whos tried to take a pot of paint to a recycling centre will most likely have been met with the disappointing news that unfortunately it cant be recycled due to the nature of the chemicals. Often the advice is to use it up, donate it to a community repaint scheme, or dry the contents thoroughly with sand before bunging it in the rubbish bin.


But there is another solution, one that I discovered quite recently, which is to actually recycle waste paint into new paint.  This is something that I thought would be impossible, until I stumbled upon the West Sussex based company Newlife Paints.

Newlife Paints does exactly what it says in its company name.  It breathes new life into old paint by reprocessing it into a new product, which contains a minimum of 50% recycled paint.

Created in 2008, the business has an agreement to recover water-based emulsion paints from nearby Household Waste Recycling Centres. The tins are separated into key colour groups, exterior or interior use and matt versus silk finish, after which the paint is blended, tested and treated, before being filtered and packaged ready for sale.  As a result of this process, each year, the company has been able to divert an estimated 100 tonnes of paint from landfill or incineration.

A few months ago, following my cheeky request to try it out, Newlife Paints were kind enough to send me a tester pot.  Unfortunately since then, things have been so busy,  it has spent most of its time just sat on the shelf.

But seeing as its Recycle Week, I thought there was no better time to give it a go and yesterday I finally managed to grab myself a roller, open the pot and slap it - yes, that is my decorating style - onto a wall that has been in much need of redecoration for as long as Ive been staring at the unopened pot of paint.

So whats my verdict?

Im no professional, but on application, the pale magnolia emulsion certainly seemed to live up to any quality brand that I have used before and provided good coverage and a finish that offers more credibility to my decorating skills than I possibly deserve. Even after the first coat.

I was particularly pleased with this, because the wall upon which the paint was tested (pictured above), has seen a lot of knocks and handprints from the younger members of our household.

The paint also dried fairly quickly and left no real distinct smell around the house.

Thats the verdict on the product.  Sadly my husbands verdict on my decorating skills is not so positive. Apparently preparation is the key to perfection and I really should have taken the trouble to mask off the areas which I didnt want to paint. Admittedly, I was over-keen to get started and as a result Im not sure Ill be trusted to be left unsupervised with a roller in future, whether Im doing my bit for recycling or not!

But now that theres a choice of  buying new or recycled paint, for me Ill be choosing the latter, especially as Newlife Paints state that every 5 litres of paint recycled results in an estimated saving of 13.58 kg in CO_2. 

Stockists are mainly limited to West Sussex based companies at the moment, but the company has an online store for nationwide orders and is also preparing to launch its product range into 120 B&Q stores_. The emulsion range is good, offering a choice of 32 colours and Newlife Paints provides a colour matching service too.

With innovative processes like this now being available in the UK, I would hope that paint recycling along with community reuse schemes will continue to divert increasing amounts of paint that is wasted through landfill and incineration.

It would be great to see more recycling centres collecting pots for recycling or reuse and I certainly hope that Newlife Paints can expand its recovery and reprocessing service into new areas.

Local paint collection is one thing that I feel we currently miss out on in Suffolk, but I now feel confident that its only a matter of time.

____________________________________________________

More information about Newlife Paints can be found at www.newlifepaints.com. For details of Community Repaint schemes, visit www.communityrepaint.org.uk.

Read More..

Brilliance in Blogging Awards Please vote for this waste busting blogger

Ive just discovered the wonderful news that The Rubbish Diet has been shortlisted for the Brilliance in Blogging awards, which will be hosted by the BritMums Live event in June.

Id firstly like to thank all the kind folk who nominated my blog. The news was a fabulous surprise, especially as over the last two months Ive had my head firmly buried in other peoples virtual bins.

Apparently there were over 12,000 nominations registered across many blogs, so I feel especially honoured to have made it to the top 20 blogs listed in the category of CHANGE.




The public vote has already commenced, and if The Rubbish Diet makes it to the final list, I will personally feel chuffed to bits, but more importantly, it will be a great opportunity to raise the profile of this blog and for bin-slimming habits to reach a wider audience and help embed the change that is needed to help reduce this countrys waste footprint.

I felt too shy to ask for nominations, but today I am actually going to ask for your vote, as I would love the opportunity to raise awareness of waste reduction even wider within a blogging community that has already shown an appetite for such change.

Those who have followed the various campaigns that I have either instigated or promoted over the last four years, have done so with great enthusiasm.  From the early days of the recycling carnival, to Recycle Week, Zero Waste Week, Bagladys Living ASAP, the 1000 bin challenge and finally the Rubbish Diet Challenge 2012, there has been one heck of a lot of support from the parent blogging network.

I now want to capture that energy and make sure the waste-busting message amongst bloggers gathers even further momentum.  Reaching the finals of the awards would most definitely help me empower other bloggers to do more and my brain is already thinking about some exciting campaigns that could capture the imagination of such a creative community, which has an amazing ability to inspire its far reaching audiences.

So if you have a moment to spare, just a few minutes is all it takes, do pop along to the Voting Page and VOTE.

Youll find The Rubbish Diet listed in the third category down, nestled amongst all the other brilliant blogs that have been nominated for the CHANGE! award.  Quite rightly, its going to be tough competition, so your vote really will count. And of course, do vote for others that have inspired you too.

Im off there myself in a mo to check out the other categories. Good luck to all the bloggers who have made the shortlists.  And to anyone who takes the time to vote for my blog, Id like to say a HUGE THANK YOU!  Your support is very much appreciated.


To view all the categories and place your vote, please visit: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/bibs_shortlist Voting closes on 30 April 2012.

Read More..

My fantasy landfill bin please vote for it!

Im afraid I could resist no longer.  Having admired the very pretty and funky designs that have been entered into Brabantias Design your Bin competition, I finally succumbed to submitting my own entry.

My urge to tell it like it is in the world of  pedal bin design led to a momentary lapse of what the hell today and with a few flicks of the mousepad, my entry Off to Landfill was live and kicking on the competition website, featuring a photo taken at Suffolks Foxhall landfill site back in 2008.

I admit its not the prettiest of designs.  Its probably the most rubbish design youd ever find on a bin, but then, literally thats the point.  Cheeky I know, but it does tell the story of where rubbish ends up.
 
So, to all my waste-busting pals out there, if youve got a few minutes, Id very much appreciate your vote.  Just click here to go straight to my bin.

Although a panel of design judges get to pick the winner, the bin with the most votes gets the prize for the most popular design.  So if that ever happens to this bin, I will be chuffed to bits.

Voting is open until 10 June 2012.  Hopefully, you may even be inspired to enter your own waste-busting design.

Read More..