Updates
Jenny – ImpactScore App (https://www.impactscore.app/) – to be used when shopping which gives you a rating of foods and consumer products from their barcodes with ratings across a number of different criteria. Good to select different products which perform better, or to feedback to food companies asking them to improve. While there is talk about improving food labelling, an app may be more appropriate as more information can be made available.
Food group are individually writing to the D&S as individuals to ask for more environmental news content. Will complement CASaV wide – Caryn has arranged to talk to Irene Myers about what the D&S could do on the environmentally front.
Action: All – personally write to D&S and encourage them to include more environmental content.
David – “Perpetual plastic? Recycling for the Future” – webinar from Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Materials – brought together four Teesside enterprises exploring and developing recycling options for plastics. They were all on the same hymn sheet with similar opening slides showing a circular economy.
John Twitchen, founder of Stuff4Life (https://stuff4.life/), is focussing on discarded complex clothing (eg HighVis jackets and PEP industrial overalls) that is difficult to deal with using existing infrastructure with the aim of keeping value of component materials.
Laura Hepburn, director of Greenology (https://www.greenologyuk.com/), is focussing on tyre industry. They have a small plant that takes old tyres and separates the rubber from reinforcing fibres, using a granulator and pyrolysis, creating a byproducts to add to pitches for roads and paving, eg children’s play areas.
Andrew Gooda, Chief Engineer WornAgain (https://wornagain.co.uk/), is focussed on polycottons which cannot be dealt with by current methods. They use selective solvents (reclaimable ) to dissolve polymers and then extract PET monomers and cellulose from cotton component both of which can be recycled.
Dan Mellor, Manager ReNew ELP (https://renewelp.co.uk/), is concerned mainly with hydrocarbon plastics including flexible complex films. They have a 20ktonne/yr plant that is scalable to 100ktonne/yr. The process involves shredding, melt extrusion, mixing with superheated steam, hydro reactor, and degassing to extract naphtha products and heavy oils/waxes.
There was a discussion/questions. There is a huge demand for recycled polymer which is significantly cheaper than “virgin polymer”. Traceability of waste plastic is important. I asked whether ptfe,polytetrafluoroethylene, as in outdoor rain gear can be reclaimed – answer No.
Pete – looking at all the hedge cutting going on locally, brought up a number of issues – ELMS should get more carbon sequestered in hedges – how are they going to do this and what happens to the hedge clippings. Concern is that ELMS appears to only going to be advantageous to already very rich landowners – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-land-management-schemes-overview
Kate – It would be great if the D&S could have a Green Spot, been thinking about writing an article on upcycling, photos from the CoP26 Stokesley event might be attractive for D&S, need to make sure we get people’s permission at next event.
Looking at having a craft stall based on upcycling fabrics – craft stall at craft shows (different village halls) – platform for green issues / raise money for charity / teach people to do things in future i.e. turning Rountons coffee bags into log carriers.
We don’t know what links there are between Stokesley Show and the lots of environmental farm initiatives going on – from individual farms Fields Farm, in Cloughton just north of Scarborough https://www.greenfarming.co.uk/ to national organisations
https://www.agricology.co.uk/about-us, networks – the Nature Friendly Farming Network https://www.nffn.org.uk/steering-group-england/, Yorkshire focused organsation https://www.yorkshirerewildingnetwork.org.uk/ and with all the changes to funds available for farms the Princes Countryside Trust – https://www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/how-we-help/family-farm-businesses/defra-future-farming/, would any of these be groups for CASaV to work with to get involved with Stokesley Show.
Simon – as previously mentioned, you have until 24th April to catch this great MIMA exhibition half on ICI and half on sustainable fashion using materials being made of waste food materials – a handbag made from apple skin, shoes made from banana leaves, a biodegradable t-shirt dyed with algae – https://mima.art/exhibition/chemical-city/.
Next Helmsley Green Group Give or Take – 10th April 9.30am-1pm in Helmsley Town Hall. We would like to do one locally, but as HDC does not deal with commercial waste they are unable to help with end of day waste handling (hopefully none but we need to have a guaranteed home for any left).
Matters arising
Repair Cafe – Swainby 26th March – Opportunity to get us up to speed with the philosophy and the practicalities, basically “us dipping our toes in the water“. We have joined the International Repair Cafe (https://repaircafe.org/en) movement, attached are some of their guides. What are we going to be repairing, things that people otherwise would replace, wouldn’t repair, end up in waste – so not so much the difficult / impossible but things that some people would repair, so jeans with a rip, lawn mowers with cut cables, lights that don’t light, chairs with a wonky leg, computers that don’t boot, …. One thought was to have biro inners, to stop people throwing out the rest of the pen, …..
Virtual Share Shed – In the process of setting this up https://climateactionstokesleyandvillages.org/casav-share-shed-mock-up/ – plan is to make it very simple: picture / description of item on website with anonymous email address to request loan of the item – then lender and borrower agree the load. Need for some thought on appropriate items and which items may be inappropriate.
Thermal Camera – Labman loaned Simon their thermal camera, fantastic images, a bit more work is needed to properly understand what they are saying about heat loss from your house. Waiting for some colder nights to get the best images, please get in touch if you are interested to see thermal pictures of your house.
Stokesley Show – having spoken to Jeanette Hugill, the committee had requested specific suggestions from CASaV which they will then consider. Simon will put together a suggestion – ranging from: Option 1 – just do recycling – people with bibs / litter pickers, Option 2 – recycling plus working with waste contractor, Option 3 – ……
However the group feels the Show should be helped to be more ambitious – “Greening” Stokesley Show, green zone, green transport to show, engage with stall holders – reduce packaging / food waste / no plastic bits and pieces etc., engage with farm equipment firms – do they have green stories to tell us, clean up recycling, Green Zone / Show – Vegan food stalls, dramatic demonstrations / Making things from waste / Repair cafe
Recycling – appropriate receptacles – make it as easy as possible to separate out waste, bibs with message, Speak to the committee
Action: Simon take suggestion to whole of CASaV next week
Rubbish at Stokesley Show – in 2019 Stokesley Show provided a number of 1 tonne dumpy builders bags (the big bags that sand and aggregate are delivered in), as the picture below shows these bags are held up by metal posts that are placed at each corner. At the end of the show a contractor tips all the mixed waste into skips which are then taken away and disposed of in an appropriate fashion. In 2021 John Fletcher on behalf of the show committee emailed CASaV “IF the show goes ahead there is an agreement in principle in respect to collecting rubbish with a view to recycling. The ground management would expect guidance and would use “ builders bags” and signage etc.” This tallies with the picture below:
There is an interesting article here from Kirbymoorside on how they saved 6 jumbo wheelie bins of recycling going to landfill after the Ryedale Show – https://www.kirkbymoorside.info/show-recycling-challenge/
HDC – Net Zero actions – Recent meeting with HDC – see CASaV update for details
Climate Fresk – 1st March 6pm – please get in touch if you would like to attend.
Climate Action Stokesley and Villages 