Rye residents and visitors made the most of the Recycle Swap Shop last Saturday at St Mary’s Centre, with over 230 people turning up after the summer break. Some came with items they no longer needed but wanted to see go to a good home, while others came to browse to see if someone else’s junk was their treasure! Remember you don’t have to bring stuff to the recycle swap shop – we need people to come and take stuff away as well!
This time, over half a tonne of goods were brought to the event, with 66% of it being taken away by visitors, 21% of it going to charity shops for resale, 8% being recycled and just 5% being consigned to landfill. The total weight of goods taken for reuse from all the recycle swap shops since they started in October 2012 is now over three tonnes! This has saved people money, as they have picked up things they may have had to pay for otherwise (though many make a small voluntary donation to the cost of running the event – usually about £50), and it has also helped the environment, by making better use of the resources we have and reducing landfill use.
Finally, we’d like to thank Fanny Baldwin and Janet Waddams for the hard work they have put in to all the Recycle Swap Shops at St Mary’s Centre – they would not have happened without them! Sadly, this is the last one at which they are acting as co-ordinators, though I’m sure they will be attending future events. We’re currently looking for a new co-ordinator for the St Mary’s Centre Recycle Swap Shops – if you think you could fill this role, or help as a regular volunteer, please email transitionrye@gmail.com
Don’t forget the next event is Sat November 22nd, at the Tilling Green Centre. More details will be at www.transitionrye.org.uk
Photo by Mike Pepler
