Hampton Hill Junior School's 'green initiative'
In the Spring of 2008, Hampton Hill Junior School was chosen as one of 36 "Leading Sustainable Schools" in the country. This is an initiative run by the Governors and The National College of School Leadership . The school had to show high quality leadership in the school-through Ofsted and a real practical and definite commitment and vision for developing Sustainability in their own school, other schools and the local and regional community. They received a grant to use to "spread the word" based on the Governors National Strategy for Sustainability-known as " The Eight Doorways". Read more
Why should you recycle?
If you have ever seen a landfill site the answer is obvious. Tons and tons of rotting refuse poisoning the land and waterways and infested by millions of rats and flies is reason alone. But the global impact on the long term is even greater reason to be responsible for recycling your own rubbish.
It is not difficult to lose the habit we have all acquired of throwing all our waste into a black bin liner and dropping it outside our homes once a week then forgetting all about it. Richmond Council are working hard to help us to recycle as much as possible by providing containers & regular collections so why not take advantage of it and do your bit to make our world a cleaner greener place for our children to enjoy?
All you need to do is CLICK HERE to order your recycling containers then separate your household waste into categories:
glass jars and bottles
paper
cardboard
plastic bottles (because not all plastic is recyclable whereas most bottles are it was decided to only provide a service for these as apposed to all plastic wrapping and containers)
tin cans and aluminium foil
textiles (clothes and cloth materials)
food waste
all other types of packaging and non-recyclable refuse
How to organise your recycling in the home:
Place different containers for each category of waste product around your home wherever suits you best and get into the habit of throwing the correct items into them. Then simply place all the waste paper into the blue plastic bag provided by Richmond council. Then your cardboard, tins, foil, textiles, plastic bottles and glass jars and bottles all go into the black box and cream cloth bag also provided.
Place them outside your home on your allocated collection day, in full view so the collectors can find them easily from the road and hey presto ~ you are no longer a lazy litterbug and will feel good that you are not only contributing to making Britain a greener cleaner place but also helping Richmond borough reach its target of a 50% recycling of household waste by 2010. They are already up to 40% per month which is a wonderful achievement since November last year.
Why not place your waste paper blue bag in your office or study area where most paper is accumulated?
The glass jars and bottles can go into a container in your hallway or outside near your front gate to remind you to take them to the recycle units nearby (see our 'Virtual Stroll' to find out where they are). They will be collected though if you place them in the black box.
Because the plastic bottles and tin cans need washing out first to eliminate smells and stop flies accumulating, keep those in containers in the kitchen.
Your waste cardboard must be flattened and goes into the same black box or cream linen bag as the plastic bottles, tin cans & foil so can be kept in the kitchen.
Textiles must be clean and dry and bagged separately but also placed into the black box or cream linen bag. Reusable clothes are obviously always welcomed at our second hand charity shops. See our 'Virtual Stroll' to find out where they are
Food waste can also be collected to be turned into compost. You will be provided with two containers for your food waste one to keep outside and one in your kitchen. You can purchase the liners for these at the local library or online for £1.75. See: Food recycling bin liners.
Alternatively you can buy a discounted compost bin for your own garden for just £20 online here: www.recyclenow.com. But you can only compost vegetable waste at home. Meat, fish & dairy products have to go to the large industrial composting plant and must still be recycled using Richmond Councils collection service.
Even small gardens or flats can purchase a wormery which is a small self contained unit that will compost soft organic kitchen waste such as vegetable peelings, coffee grounds and stale bread. As it is small it can be kept in a garage, shed or even on a balcony. The wormery will produce compost for pot plants and a liquid plant food saving you money in the long run for one small initial purchase. Read More
Garden waste collection is also an opt in service if you are already recycling other waste. Three types of containers are available and this will be collected fortnightly. See: Garden Waste Recycling
Yes it is a little more effort than simply throwing all your waste into one bin in your kitchen but, if you care about the environment and the future of the planet for your children's sake, just do it!
If you are able to take your waste to Townmead Road Recycle Centre please do so as they have the facility there to recycle even more of your household waste products. Townmead Road, Richmond (off Mortlake Rd, Kew). TW9 4EL. Tel: 020 8876 3281. The centre is open April to October 8am to 6pm November to March 8am to 5pm Sundays and public holidays throughout the year 9am to 4pm. The Centre is closed on Christmas Day 25 December, Boxing Day 26 December and New Years Day. For a list of what is accepted please visit: Townmead Road Recycle Centre
Recycling in the Richmond borough benefits Africa
Did you know that by recycling your aluminium cans and foil you are also helping grow trees in Africa? Richmond upon Thames council has signed up to the Trees for Africa campaign being run by ALUPRO (www.alupro.org.uk) and British charity ripple Africa in Malawi (www.rippleafrica.org). The project works by buying a tree for every tonne of aluminium collected in the borough. The more aluminium cans and foil you recycle the more trees we can buy!
The aim is to improve nutrition, tackle de-forestation and provide the future basis for small fruit drying and juicing businesses.
It's simple, the more you recycle the greater the number of trees that will be planted, so please get recycling. The possibilities are endless!
To learn more about how you can recycle your waste to reduce your own impact on our environment visit: www.richmond.gov.uk and www.recyclenow.com
We are the Champions!
A group of volunteers known as the 'Champions' have been working towards making the borough of Richmond a cleaner greener place since December 2006 in conjunction with the recycling efforts being made by Richmond Council. Community Champions work within the community to raise awareness of the importance of recycling and reducing waste.
For many years interested volunteers have been assisting Eco Action in some of its projects. The Recycling Champions Scheme was set up in December 2006 to develop this existing link and to support those who are genuinely interested in making a difference.
In 2007, the Sustainability Department launched a Climate Change Champions Scheme to promote and support energy saving and renewable energy projects to help tackle climate change. Community Champions is a merger between the Recycling Champions and the Climate Change Champions encouraging people with a variety of skills and interests to work together.
There are currently about 60 Community Champions in the borough, some of whom belong to formal community groups as in Teddington and Kew and some of whom work independently. If you would like to offer your services to this voluntary group please visit: www.richmond.gov.uk
How Plastic Bags Affect Wildlife
The real impact of plastic bag litter is felt on wildlife both in the marine environment and in rural areas. Tens of thousands of whales, birds, seals and turtles are killed every year from plastic bag litter in the marine environment as they often mistake plastic bags for food such as jellyfish.
Plastic bags, once ingested, cannot be digested or passed by an animal so it stays in the gut. Plastic in an animal’s gut can prevent food digestion and can lead to a very slow and painful death.
Plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to break down therefore, once an animal dies and decays after ingesting plastic, the plastic is then freed back into the marine environment to carry on killing other wildlife.
A Note from the Webmaster
I have been a resident of the High Street in Hampton Hill for the past ten years and enjoy the wonderful privilege of having some tall majestic trees in my garden. However, I find it a very annoying and tedious task every winter teetering on stepladders with a long handled garden rake trying to yank down the collection of coloured plastic bags which the wind has whipped up and deposited in the highest branches of these trees. Then I have to get down on my knees to fish out soggy plastic bags that have clogged up my wildlife pond in order to save the hundreds of frogs that live there from suffocating. This is just a tiny part of the global escalation of life threatening dangers we are causing wildlife everywhere by our irresponsible disposal of the millions of giveaway plastic carrier bags handed to us everyday by the majority of shops.Well you can imagine my delight when I was sent the information further down this page, by a local resident Richard Sharp, about the effort our High Street traders and local school children were making to raise awareness of this devastating worldwide problem. Millions of wildlife die an unnecessary slow and very painful death by consuming or getting tangled in plastic bags all because we are too lazy to purchase a simple bio degradable carrier bag and carry it with us. When we leave our homes we all check to make sure we have mobile phones, keys, wallet, purse, glasses etc. Why on earth can we not get use to picking up a small folded biodegradable cloth carrier bag and putting that in our pockets or handbags too?
In my opinion, more shops on our High Street should take a leaf out of the books of Noble Green Wines, Health on the Hill & Budgens and stop giving away plastic bags as though they grew on trees!
Do you issues with this? If so please do let me have your plastic bag story to add to this page: ask@hamptonhill.org
Thank you for taking the time to visit this page.
Helen Hurley
Webmaster
Nobel Green Wines - 153-155 High Street
www.noblegreenwines.co.ukNobel Green Wine were the first trader in the High Street to introduce 'Green' Re-usable Jute bags which they have been issuing since they opened just over 2 years ago. These bags have sections inside to allow for 6 bottles, these sections also fold back to become a large shopping bag. They sell them at cost for £2.99.
Opening hours are Mon-Fri 11.00am-8.00pm, Saturday 10.00am-8.00pm, Sunday 1.00am-6.00pm
Tel 0208 979 1113
Health on the Hill Pharmacy - 62 High Street Hampton Hill
www.healthonthehill.co.uk
Jonathon Cox, proprietor of our two High Street pharmacies, has invested into eco-friendly cloth carrier bags which not only act as a form of advertising for his business but also encourage shoppers to stop relying on the free plastic bag hand outs that has become the habit of today's shopper in the UK.
These strong roomy bags are not only comfortable to carry but also have the great advantage of lasting a long time instead of ripping apart and breaking precious contents like expensive bottles of wine! They are also washable and won't damage the environment like discarded plastic bags do.
They folded up very small to easily fit in a man's pocket or ladies handbag. At the affordable price of just 50p why not buy a few and keep one in every pocket of your outdoor coats, one in your hand or man bag and some in your car?
Budgens Supermarket - 82–84 High Street Hampton Hill
In a novel environmental project dreamt up and sponsored by Budgens supermarket in Hampton Hill, children from five local schools have designed long life shopping bags to sell to parents and friends and entered their designs in a competition.
Binda Tatler, owner and operator of Budgens Hampton Hill said, “We just wanted to do our bit to cut back on the number of plastic bags used. At the same time to help raise money for the schools and have some fun in the process. Back in January we approached five of our local schools and asked them if they would like to run a competition for their pupils to design a long life, recyclable shopping bag. We hoped that they would be able to fit it into their curricula. Their response was absolutely fantastic. Children were given the whole Spring term to produce their artworks. Designs covered animals and plants but most chose recycling themes or the damage to the environment caused by discarded plastic bags. The enthusiasm and interest was absolutely wonderful, there were more than 1,200 entries. I know that the schools had great difficulty in choosing their winners from so many wonderful, imaginative and very creative designs.”
Budgens have sponsored the production of 1,700 cotton shopping bags and arranged for them to be over-printed with the five winning designs, a different bag for each participating school. The schools will be selling them at their fairs and open days during the summer and anticipate raising a total of £3,400 towards school environmental projects or charities such as Water Aid. The bags are also available from Budgens in Hampton Hill.
'Pictured with their original winning artworks and bags at the launch on Thursday 22nd May, (
left front) Ruby Kinchin aged 6 of Stanley Infant & Nursery School, (left back ) Georgia Irwin Year 6 of Buckingham Primary School, (back centre ) Alice Kittlesen-Clifford Class 3H of Hampton Hill Junior School, back right Florence Eccleston Upper I (Year 4) of Lady Eleanor Holles Junior School and front right, Llewlyn Whitney class 3L of Hampton Junior School. 
