USE IT ALL

Did you know this is Big Plastic Count Week, 11-17th March?

If you were on Lowestoft's sunny South Beach on 28th August you may have seen people writing in the sand. It was a huge postcard to Rishi Sunak, our current Prime Minister. 

“Dear Rishi, hear our voice, save our beach, Floods 1953. Love, Lowestoft xxx”.

Many people watched and commented, and some Lowdown postcards – Lowdown's favourite social media – were completed. Being a holiday town, it wasn't just locals. 

Sometimes we have big household items which we need to replace. Quite often the replacements are second-hand, and households are left with large things which are difficult to get rid of, especially if you don't have access to a van or a trailer or something. And so sometimes they get dumped in back alleys or on the street. Fly-tipping. No one wants that.

Lowestoft Town Council has a remedy. They are funding a trial scheme 'Bulky Waste Free Collection and Disposal' service.

Use It All is having to take a break.

We currently do not have anywhere to store collected recyclable material.

We hope to return in October, but in a slightly different form.

Still be collecting...

We will be collecting TetraPaks and possibly medicine blister packs on a regular basis. Other things we used to collect are now fairly easily dropped off at shops and supermarkets.

  The High Street is on Calender 1, Tuesdays. Other streets might be different. To look it up, go here: Bin Collection   What you can and can't blue bin, and some info on 'bring banks' and 'recycling centres'. Find BLUE BIN INFO HERE   

  We hope to have leaflets ready by January for distribution in the New Year.  

The recycling centre on the South Lowestoft Industrial Estate has re-opened, with new rules. It's working well. No queues. You book a slot, go along at the appointed time, and deliver your stuff. BOOK A SLOT  

At Budget 2018, government announced that from April 2022 it wouldintroduce a world-leading new tax on the production and import of plastic packaging with less than 30% recycled content, subject to consultation. Plastic packaging accounts for 44% of plastic used in the UK , but 67% of plastic waste, and over 2 million tonnes of plastic packaging is used each year.     https://www.gov.uk. 

Proposals to reform the packaging producer responsibility system. These regulations set waste recycling targets for businesses responsible for producing packaging (like food containers). In particular, we’re seeking views on: changing how costs are managed to be consistent with “polluter pays” principles how we can use incentives to encourage the use of recyclable packaging making recycling labels mandatory on packaging setting new packaging waste recycling targets for 2025 and 2030 improving monitoring and enforcement of the regulations

Refilling and reusing old containers is a great way to reduce the amount of plastic and packaging we use. There are shops and businesses all over Suffolk offering refill services, ranging from household cleaning products to dried goods such as rice or oats and even loose-leaf tea and chocolate! Just click on the icons on the map to find a refill shop or see the table below. Please do contact the shops for more information before making a visit to check they have the items you want. It might sound obvious but don’t forget to take all the containers you need with you! Added: 23 September, 2023