Community projects receive a New Year boost

Tell everyone all about it; we want some wonderful innovative projects to benefit from our Community Waste Fund. Do   creative and sustainable project?  We would like projects that have captured the imagination of the 3Rs, Reduce, Re-use and Recycle to increase the recycling rate and continue to help with our ambition of zero waste to landfill.

We have supported 22 community waste projects since 2010, from residents groups running swap shop events to Social Housing Landlords working in partnership with Community Furniture projects to provide affordable furniture to people on a low income.

The fund, which is now open until the 15^th February 2013 is for community groups, charities and not for profit organisations that have a project which can contribute to helping their community to use waste as a resource.

If you think this fund is something for you and your group or organisation, then waste no time and apply.

The love of food continues………….

Busy cookery class……

Ashton session – Thursday 25^th at Dukinfield Town Hall with Alison

Tonight we found ourselves in the wonderful building that is Dukinfield Town Hall. We had a full house of attendees from the local area keen to spruce up their cooking skills and learn some really important facts about food waste and ways we can reduce it.  We got on with preparing for the curry straight away and everyone gave themselves a job to do. We had a quick demo on finely chopping garlic and chillis, which impressed the group and we talked about all sorts of ways you can reduce your food waste, saving you money and trying to reduce land fill! Everyone was really chuffed with their Love Food Hate Waste containers and we filled them up with curry and rice with some fresh chopped coriander for everyone to take home.

Bolton session – Monday 22 at St Elizabeth Church Horwich with Gideon                                                                                                

As with the previous Love Food Hate Waste cooking sessions the participants came together to cook a vegetable curry and broaden their knowledge of careful food management at home.

With a broad spectrum of people everyone got stuck into preparing the vegetables for the curry and were soon chatting about the food they make at home and using up leftovers. The vegetable curry is an ideal dish to use up those limp veggies sitting at the back of the fridge which might get thrown away, as is a hearty soup as suggested by one of the cooks.

All were most interested in using pulses such as lentils, beans and peas as a great way to bulk up a meal and as alternative to meat in dishes such as a puy lentil bolognese and lasagne.

The most popular and practical plan we discussed was for a roast chicken dinner, stretched to include two more meals. A risotto or chicken curry, followed by a soup and maybe even some extra stock from the last remenants of goodness from the bones.

By this point we were all very peckish and fortunately the curry was ready so we all tucked in to a delicious, healthy, nutritious and frugal meal.

Food Glorious Food………….

The vegetable and lentil curry was good enough to take home

Kim, one of the cooking leaders from Cracking Good Food shares Tuesday night’s cooking experience….

Tuesday evening saw Cracking Good Food in Stockport, as part of the Love Food Hate Waste campaign which we are delivering in partnership with Recycle for Manchester.

 Lots of eager cooks braved the cold Autumn eve and turned up ready to don their aprons and get cracking.

Our top tips to cut down on wastage were eagerly received and soon the group were sharing their own….rice cooking methods from Madagascar, what to do with cauliflower stalks and re planting herbs on the window sill were all discussed.  We did so much talking we nearly forgot to cook!  Our veg and lentil curry was soon bubbling away and the pungent spices filled the air.

 As the rice steamed we quickly made a yoghurt riata with fresh mint and cucumber…the perfect accompaniment to any curry.

The room quietened down (always a good sign!) as people tucked in and agreed that they would definately be trying the recipe at home….even the curry sceptics agreed, it was indeed a lovely dish  

Look what’s cooking!

 

Participants get stuck into the cooking class in Bury

The Chesham Fold Community Centre  cookery class was ran by Gideon Foster on Monday the 15th October

As part of a Love Food Hate Waste educational program around Manchester I led the first of a series of cooking sessions at a community centre in Bury.

We had a fantastic turn-out on what was a cold and damp evening, the session was due to start at 7pm and just before the start time there was only a few of us setting up the table and discussing the ingredients to be used for the vegetable curry we would be cooking that evening.

But suddenly the room was full and bustling and we all got stuck in to preparing the vegetables. Peeling, chopping and dicing as we discussed the importance of not wasting any food and the suitability of a vegetable curry for using up those limp vegetables at the back of the fridge.

With at least one person proclaiming that they didn’t like curry everyone tucked in and enjoyed it, coming back for seconds and taking more away in their LFHW containers. A very rewarding cooking session, educational for the participants and I hope inspiring.

Inspire Community centre  in Levenshulme cookery class  ran by Alison Maudsley on the 17th October

Last night’s session involved cooking a yummy vegetable and lentil curry with rice with a focus on reducing food waste at home. The session was attended by 18 people from the local area who all wanted to learn some new cooking skills and share handy hints and tips on their own ways of reducing food waste such as cooking in bulk and freezing, eating the leaves on a cauliflower as cabbage ( a personal favourite), using the grey caddy bin and food liners for all compostable items, see link: freezing herbs and vegetables, sticking to your budget, only buying what you need and planning meals in advance. We all sat round together and ate the wonderful curry before everyone headed home with leftovers!

There is still chance to book on a cookery class here

Win a meal for two at the River Bar and Restaurant

Tasty leftovers and savings of up to £50 a month! Sound familiar? We would like residents in Greater Manchester to embrace Love Food Hate Waste this Autumn, but first we would like to find out a bit about their food waste habits to help form a better understanding of why we are throwing away millions of pounds a year of edible food. We are asking residents to fill in a quick survey for the chance to win a meal for two at the River Bar and Restaurant at the Lowry Hotel www.recycleforgreatermanchester.com/food.

Households in Greater Manchester are wasting up to £680 a year by throwing away perfectly edible food. Recycle for Greater Manchester is continuing with the popular Love Food Hate Waste campaign in September and October and will host cookery classes and cooking demonstrations, as well as working with local retailers, in the bid to reduce food waste in Greater Manchester.

Got leftovers? Then why not take a look at our tasty recipe cards, which also contain hints and tips on storage and portion sizes.

Look out for more details soon.

Community waste fund is open for applicants

Let the summer of swapping, swishing, sewing and saving commence.

Our Community Waste Fund opened to applicants today and we are   looking to fund projects that value the pre-loved.

From sewing classes  to swap shops, we can all reduce the waste we produce and gain value along the way.

This is this fourth round of funding and we would like inspirational ideas from community groups who can encourage their neighbourhood to get thrifty. Up-cycling is the new pastime for people wanting to save money and be distinctive.

It might be swapping that funky skirt for a retro style T-shirt, learning new and useful skills at make do and mend classes or refurbishing furniture, revamping clothes or swapping garments at a swishing party. It will help people’s money to go further and possessions last longer, and at the same, benefit the environment.   

We want to encourage people to sew, knit, craft, and with a little thought and creative flair you can make something really unique. Turn your old jumpers into cushions, buttons into broaches; even create shelves out of an old door! Community groups can apply by visiting our funding page 

Look out for out for the up-cycling web of fame, which will capture what Greater Manchester is doing to make and mend. We are looking forward to seeing the creations.

 

Ending the week in STYLE!

Who said upcycled fashion can’t compete with the high street, take a look at the photos from our Watch Your Waste weeks fantastically fashion forward finale! 

The fashion show was a FREE event for all Greater Manchester residents and was held on the 26th November at Salford University.

The upcycled range is all made from recycled textiles and there were lots of original vintage finds too. Local designers including Tracey Cliffe @lovemeagain and a fantastic charity called TRAID who fundraises by collecting the UK’s unwanted textiles, were responsible for all the fashion on the night. How great do all the girls look ? The vintage collection was inspired by the 1940s as you can see below and there were some really quirky props too!

 On the night there were over 70 items of clothing on display on the catwalk some of which you can buy direct from the designer who has an online shop and the prices are really reasonable for one-off unique pieces.

There was lot’s people could get involved in, alongside the show,  one fashion savvy mum from Manchester said of the event “I took my two daughters to the fashion show, we were shown how to make a beaded bracelet from strips and we bought hair adornments made out of scrap fabric. My teenage daughter was so inspired she could not wait to get home to find one of her dad’s old t-shirts that she can make into a dress!”

There were also interactive displays on reducing food waste, a virtual pre-loved living room, to showcase the quality of second-hand furniture collected by furniture re-use organisations and one lucky individual Catherine Dunne, a teacher at Salford University won a vintage shopping spree with designer and stylist Tracey in the free prize draw on the night.

The fashion show was the ultimate ending to a great week of FREE activities all aimed at practical ways people can reduce their waste at home.

9 Sew Good Workshops allowed those who attended the opportunity to learn key sewing skills whilst updating their wardrobe.  Old pre-loved items of clothing were transformed into something new.  I personally rescued a dress that had come into contact with bleach and will be wearing it with pride at my office christmas do’, whilst others in my class turned trousers and tops into skirts, whilst other items were customised by adding a new twist, a material bottom and bow on a child’s denim skirt and ‘pouffy’ sleeves being removed and turned into a tie to give shape to an unworn blouse.

Nutrionist, Elizabeth Wells taught 9 classes  helping the people of Greater Manchester to make the most of their leftovers at the Love Food Hate Waste Cookery Classes. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the class as food was made and enjoyed on the night, the chicken carcass was slow cooked and turned into a tasty broth whilst fridge leftovers whipped up into a tasty frittata. Did you know you can swap the potato for grated courgette!

Did you miss out on the events this year don’t worry there is still plenty you can do at home to waste less, check out our reduce and re-use pages for more information. Also don’t fret Watch Your Waste Week will be back next year, so watch this space.

Boosting the absorbency of your real nappies

One of the main differences between real nappies and disposables (other than what you do with them after you take them off your baby!) is the way that they absorb.  Disposable nappies rely on super-absorbent gels to absorb the liquid your baby produces, whereas in a real nappy the absorbency comes from the material used.

Absorbency may be a concern for you, especially if you have been used to disposable nappies. If it is, fear not as  it is worth saying, that disposable nappies are really far too absorbent.  The gels used can’t discriminate between what is urine and what is the natural moisture in your baby’s skin, meaning that baby’s skin can become unnaturally dry if left in a disposable nappy for too long.

All you really need in a nappy is for it to hold enough liquid to last between your normal regular changes.  This will depend on both how much liquid your baby produces and the level of absorbency your baby needs throughout a 24 hr period (e.g. more absorbancy at night compared to during the day).

Most people find that they need to adjust to absorbency of their real nappies at some point, either for overnight or for heavier wetting babies.  This is easily done, simply by adding boosters to your nappy. This can be a bit of trial and error to get it right but don’t worry! You will very quickly get the level right.

When we talk about “nappy boosters”, we just mean adding extra material to give you more absorbency.  Good fabric choices for nappy boosters are microfibre or bamboo, as these both add a good deal of absorbency without adding too much bulk.  Personally, I found bamboo the best for night-time, although I’ve also had good results with cheap microfibre cleaning cloths folded in half (I had separate cloths for the actual cleaning, I hasten to add!) 

A good trick when adding boosters to your nappy is to fold the booster in half and place it where it is most needed, i.e. at the front for boys or in the middle for girls. 

For more information or advice, please contact me at vicki@realchoicenappies.co.uk.

Nappy blog provided by Vicki Jordan from Real Choice Nappies

Using real nappies when out & about

Many people are concerned with how they will use real nappies when they are out and about, even if they are happy to use them at home.  Often, people will say that they intend to use disposables when they’re out as they are “easier”.

Certainly this is how I felt when I had my first child – I was happy to use cloth at home but somehow felt that it was easier to take disposables when we went out.  I have to say that this didn’t last long though – once I was used to using cloth, it was second nature to use them wherever we were.  In fact, it was easier to stick a couple of real nappies in the change bag than it was to remember to buy disposables!

Real nappies have come a long way in the last few years and many are as easy to use as disposables.  Some people choose to get a few different nappies for out & about (perhaps if using terry squares at home), but most people are fine with their everyday nappies – after all, this is what you’ll be used to! 

The one change I made to our normal routine was to use flushable nappy liners when we went out (I used washable liners at home).  Flushable liners make it easier to dispose of any solids; you can either flush the liner (and contents) away in the loo, or you can pop it in a nappy bin.  If neither of these options are available, then you can just wrap everything up in a waterproof nappy bag.  The nappy bag will contain any smells but still allow the nappies to breathe. 

So the routine for using real nappies when out & about is very similar to that for using disposables.  Change your baby, dispose of any mess (using the flushable liner), then pop the wet nappy in a nappy bag.  The only real difference is that you take the nappy bag home with you.

Incidentally, if you are using washable wipes then you can take these out with you too.  Either pre-moisten them and pop them into a waterproof bag ready to use, or take them dry and use a small spray bottle when you need to wet them.  Used wipes can go in the dirty nappy bag with the wet nappy, ready to go into your nappy bucket when you get home.

For more information or advice, please contact me at vicki@realchoicenappies.co.uk

Written by Vicki Jordan from Real Choice Nappies

Real Nappies – Multiple children in nappies

The advantages of using real nappies are even greater when you use them for more than one child.  Obviously it makes financial sense to re-use your nappies on subsequent children if you can, to get the most out of that initial investment, but it also works if you have more than one child in nappies at the same time. 

If your children are quite close in age, then chances are you’ll have more than one in nappies at some point.  One-size nappies are great in this situation, as you can use the same nappies for all and don’t have to remember which nappies belong to which child!  You may decide to get a few more nappies to make life easier until your eldest one(s) potty train, although you will find that a few extra is all you need – you certainly shouldn’t need to buy twice the nappies.  You may even find that you can manage with what you already have, depending on the age of the older child(ren) and the number of nappy changes they need each day.

The situation is a little different when you have twins (or more!).  In this case, you will certainly need more nappies than you would for a single baby; however, it doesn’t necessarily follow that twins needs twice as many nappies.  Generally, there are “economies of scale” in having more than one baby in nappies at once, so for twins, for instance, I would usually recommend 1.5 times as many nappies as for a single baby.  Financially, this makes real nappies even better value!

For more information or for advice specific to your needs, please contact me at vicki@realchoicenappies.co.uk.

To read my previous nappy blogs, visit the nappy pages of the website 

Written by Vicki Jordan from Real Choice Nappies.