Recycling in Burton Joyce: a meeting

GREEN BIN IT BETTER

A date for your diary: 30th June 2022

Talk and presentation:

TRAIDcraft Exchange: Corporate Justice Coalition

 

Stop businesses getting away with human rights abuses

Yes, we should all do our bit to shop responsibly, but products made on the back of harming others shouldn’t be for sale in the UK.

It shouldn’t be the case that we can walk into a UK shop and buy a product that was partly made through slavery or child labour... or that destroyed forests to get onto our shelves.

But we can change this. 

Together with trade unions, activists, businesses, investors and other charities we’re calling for a new law that would put a stop to these practices by requiring businesses to prevent the abuses from taking place in the first place, compensate victims if they do happen, and where possible clean up and restore the damage caused. 

Add your name to join us! Sign the petition.

https://traidcraftexchange.org

Climate Anxiety is Perfectly Normal

 Here's what to do about it

Dealing with Climate Anxiety

Get some TRACTTion

TALK about it

RECONNECT with Nature

ACT on it together

CARE for yourself & others

TEAM UP with other people

TAKE a break when you need to

Zoom meeting with Gedling Climate Officer

Meeting 

Date: 31-1-22

Burton Joyce Climate Action Group 

Sim and Sam from Gedling Borough Council  

Minutes

Present:

 Sim D. Gedling Borough Council Climate Officer

 Sam P. Food, Health and housing manager at Gedling Borough Council (GBC)

Group members: 

Helen M

Alison C 

Gill N

Bobbie P

Julia D

Justin U 

Phil C

Apologies: 

Paul S

1.     Introductions:

Sam is involved in food hygiene, private sector housing. He is Sim’s line manager.

Sim previously worked for Sustrans, greening the national cycle network, seconded to an active travel project for a large new estate in Newark, a Waste in Schools education programme for Notts City Council, a community energy project for Derby City Council, Southwark council to promote a schools environment award, Nottingham City Council as a recycling officer and the Environment Agency.
 

2.     Gedling Carbon Strategy report

     The report was written by Melvyn C (Head of Environmental Services at GBC). Sam reported there was broadly strong support for the Carbon management plan from the head and deputy council leaders.
It is an 8-year strategy.

They are lobbying for more funding. So far Sam has funding for retrofitting external wall insulation and solar panels for housing in Netherfield.

Only 10% of Council tax goes to the borough so funding sources are important.
It’s been estimated that 26,000 homes in Gedling need improving to get a C rating for energy efficiency.

Gedling comes under the Midlands Net-zero Hub. This is a source of funding distribution.

 

3.     Follow up on Carbon Strategy

     The consultation period was Nov 5^th 2021 to Jan 4^th 2022. 

Sim is planning on doing a SWAT analysis on the information from the consultation and then will put together an action plan which will be a live document.
There were 38 respondents online, about 6 from Community organisations and the rest from individuals.

60% agreed that the strategy would be positive, 5% disagreed.
Sim has written a communication and marketing plan aimed at reaching hard to reach people in the community.

She has planned a calendar of events including:
Earth Day, Against Food waste day, Bike week, Plastic Free July, Allotment week, Recycle week, COP 27 in November, national tree week, National fuel poverty day.
 

Further information following the next cabinet meeting on 17/3/22.

 

4.     Marches Energy agency.

GBC subscribes to a Climate Change Communication package and as part of it there is a web page “Everyone’s talking about climate change”, access for GBC to 3 days of consultancy work, use of an Energy Trailer to go out in the community to educate the public.

 

5.     Green Rewards. 

      An app that the Notts councils have been asking the community to sign up to, designed to encourage environmental awareness using small tasks to win points and possibly £20 prize. So far 1690 across the whole of Notts has signed up, 154 in Gedling.

 

6.     Recycling. 

      Brief discussion about the frustrations around recycling in Gedling as many items are not recycled in the house hold collections due to the Veolia contract. Sim suggested that the group could apply for a grant to produce their own leaflet to help the community understand the rules. Sim offered to come to a future meeting to talk about recycling further

 

7.     Grants

UK cycling offer up to £3000 for groups starting community cycling initiatives, e.g. Dr Bike surgeries.

GBC councillors offer grants to community sustainability projects-deadline March 14^th.

 

Ideas examples:

- Tetrapak recycling bin for community

- improving biodiversity along the river

 

8.     Climate emergency UK. 

     Council climate score card has recently ranked all the councils. GBC had a score of 46%.

Sim also mentioned that there is a Carbon Officers group and the officers from Notts and Derbys recently met up to share practice.

 

9. Carbon literacy training     

      There was a discussion about carbon literacy training. Sam is involved in training council leaders. There was a discussion about making it available to community groups.

 

10.  AOB.

Sam and Sim offered to raise awareness of our group on the Council web page.

Sim recommended a podcast by Caroline Norbury called “The owl hoots”

 

Sim will email details of the Marches energy agency website and grants we may be interested in.

 

Sam and Sim left the meeting.

 

Plan:

Group members decided on a face-to-face meeting: 
Bobbie’s house 
Monday 21-2-22 at 7pm in order to:
- map out the direction for the group
 - look at a potential project to apply for funding for (improving biodiversity at the river was discussed)
- arrange community meetings.
  

Julia 

 

 

 

 

Join in this Greenpeace action on energy prices

Support families 

Protect children and the elderly

End fuel poverty

Impose a windfall tax on North Sea oil & gas company profits

You can send a letter about energy prices to the Chancellorof the Exchequer today by following this link:

Greenpeace letter

Next Group Meeting

 The next group meeting 

An opportunity to meet Sim Duhra

Climate Change Officer for Gedling Borough Council

Monday 31st January 2022

7.15pm 

Venue to be confirmed

Hopefully face-to-face depending on circumstances 

Please note: the date had been changed!

Please change your diary or calendar entries!

Comments re Gedling Carbon Plan

 Comments that can be used for the Gedling Borough Council Carbon Management Strategy-Closing Date 3-1-22.

If you want to, you can cut and paste these comments when you fill in the online form:

Climate Change Strategy Consultation - Gedling Borough Council

Are there any changes that you would suggest to the proposed strategy?

-Better community engagement-so far there doesn’t seem to have been much engagement for the consultation phase.

- It is vital that a strategy for change establishes base line data and then set targets that can measure success in terms of progress towards them. Friends of the Earth (FoE) “Near me” data, provides baseline data for Gedling and the government’s target for 2030. 

https://takeclimateaction.uk/near-you/gedling?_ga=2.168967009.1939090110.1638008471-693887943.1637656391

 

-An annual independent and audited public report should be published to measure progress, not only for the Council’s leadership team but also for the public. 

 

- Developers should be required to ensure that all new build is zero carbon.  

 

-I DO NOT support “incineration with energy recovery” as a means of getting rid of waste and generating energy (p24,25).  Burning municipal waste produces around 1 tonne of CO2 for each tonne of waste and so is not low carbon. Burning of waste also discourages recycling and reusing.

Are there any actions you would particularly like to see included in our detailed action plan?

 

-Work should include liaising with bus and train companies to improve services and timetables particularly to all the new developments.

-Walking infrastructure is needed where people feel safe and not alongside heavy traffic with poor air quality.

 -Tree species need to be considered carefully for resistance to changes in climate, with native trees being best.

-GBC should require a biodiversity net gain policy on all development. There is reference to a tree replacement policy on new development in your Strategy which is supported but should be at least at a ratio of 3:1 to reflect the loss of biodiversity and carbon soak from mature trees. 

-In view of the rural nature of parts of Gedling borough, Regenerative farming techniques should be included in discussions with farmers in your action plan as this builds soil health, helps biodiversity and helps to store carbon rather than releasing it.

-Gedling currently reuses, recycles and composts 34% of its household waste. Gedling should at least aim for the minimum targets set by the EU Circular Economy plan: 55% recycling by 2025 and 65% by 2035.

-The plan states that: By reducing waste and non-essential consumption, reusing, repairing and sharing existing goods, sourcing local and using more ethical and sustainable alternatives, we can significantly reduce the detrimental impacts that result from our consumption. But there are no real proposals are given as to how this will be achieved.

 

·       A new recycling facility is needed. There has been no replacement for the recycling centre at the old Gedling Colliery site that was closed years ago. Calverton recycling centre is extremely well organised and efficient, but is far away for many residents to reach. 

·       Clearer information needs to be given to residents as to what can and cannot be recycled in green bins.

·       Heavier fines are needed for anyone caught fly tipping

·       More pressure needs to be put on supermarkets and other commercial outlets to reduce unnecessary plastic packaging. A recent Greenpeace report shows that a large amount of plastic continues to be exported to other countries for dumping instead of being recycled.

·       There seems little evidence of emphasis on reducing water demand and improving efficiency of water use, including use of grey water systems. The treating of waste water also has a carbon footprint.

 

-I welcome plans to implement an Environmental Ethical Investment policy (p40) and that Gedling Borough Council will be making it clear to the Nottinghamshire County Council, that the Pension Fund should be included in this. We would go further and ask that NCCs pensions no longer invest in fossil fuel companies. 

-The Woodland Trust have asked for a minimum 30% tree canopy cover on all development land. 

( https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/publications/2020/01/emergency-tree-plan/)

 

In the FoE Near me data on woodland and rewilding for Gedling, it states that up to 171 hectares of land may be suitable for new woodlands and 32.71 hectares for rewilding. There is a significant opportunity to enhance Green Infrastructure in the Borough your target of 500 trees seems totally inadequate.

 

What other comments do you have about our proposed strategy and action plan?

I welcome the lead taken by Gedling Borough Council in consulting on the Carbon Management Strategy and broadly support the list of Actions set out in the Draft Plan.

For each Priority Area in the plan, a timetable is needed for implementation and who will be responsible. 

The initiative identified as the Green Lung Project is supported but doesn’t seem enough-especially because of the huge loss of mature trees to construct the Gedling Access Road which will increase vehicular movement and carbon emissions. How will the roll out of the Carbon Management Strategy affect the cost benefit analysis of such infrastructure projects in the future? 

-Resilience & Adaptation is not listed as a specific objective in the action plan; however, a full vulnerability assessment of the borough should be undertaken for extreme weather events and climate change with consideration for the most vulnerable citizens. This should then be incorporated into relevant policies.