Foreword from Councillor Blake Pain
Lead member for the Environment and the Green Agenda |
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Let's get savvy with food this summer |
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Did you know it is estimated by WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) that the average UK household wastes around £60 of food a week? In summertime, it's no different!
Before you start enjoying some well-deserved holiday sunshine, why not give thought to the food you have at home and what you could do with it before you go away.
Whether it be a couple of apples in your fruit bowl or some potatoes lying around in the bottom of your cupboard, they can all be used up with a bit of thought!
Thinking ahead is a great thing to do to avoid food waste, but if you’re running low on time, why not ask a friend, family member or neighbour if they could make use of the food items you have left over. |
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We've rebranded our recycling campaign |
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We've refreshed our recycling campaign to raise the importance of recycling right. The new graphics are eye-catching with our key messages.
We're continuing to encourage residents to: Put disposable nappies in their general waste Rinse, dry and recycle containers Put clothes in a clothes bank rather than their recycling bin
Contamination - putting the wrong things in the wrong bin - can ruin loads of good quality recyclable material, and it’s important this is reduced across the county. | | Find out how to recycle right |
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Winner of climate action poster competition announced |
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Earlier this year, here at Leicestershire County Council, we hosted an exciting poster competition as part of our work on Net Zero, celebrating the launch of the Net Zero Strategy and Action Plan.
We invited young people to unleash their creativity and design a poster that showcases actions the public can take to reduce their carbon footprint, such as embracing active travel, reducing waste, energy-saving or swapping out meat with plant-based alternatives in some of our meals.
The response to the competition was phenomenal, with over 100 entries received. It was truly inspiring to witness the artistic talents of our young participants and their deep understanding of climate change.
The quality of the artwork was outstanding, making it a challenging task to select a winner. After the competition concluded, a panel of Leicestershire County Council officers carefully shortlisted the top 15 posters. These shortlisted entries were then subjected to voting by stakeholders, leading to the selection of the competition winner and runners-up.
We are thrilled to announce that the winner of this competition is Keira, age 11.
A big thank you to all participants for your fantastic contributions to the competition. | | Find out more about Net Zero Leicestershire | | Leicestershire's Resources and Waste Strategy now adopted |
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The Leicestershire Waste Partnership – made up of the seven borough and district councils of Leicestershire, and the County Council - has adopted a new Leicestershire Resources and Waste Strategy, which describes the recycling and waste management services which will be delivered by the Partnership from 2022 to 2050.
The strategy examines what happens to your recycling and waste and how this can help reduce climate change and save raw materials and has the following vision:
To work towards a circular economy and contribute to achieving net zero carbon by 2050 in Leicestershire. This means fully embracing the waste hierarchy by preventing waste and keeping resources in circulation for as long as possible, through reuse, repair and recycling, to realise their maximum value whilst minimising environmental impacts. |
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Reusing items is a great way to save money, but it also reduces the amount of waste we produce. It helps to conserve natural resources, uses less energy than making something new and can often provide an opportunity for us to unleash our creative flair.
Lots of items can be reused just as they are, or if broken, perhaps they can be repaired? If not, or the item is no longer needed, you may be able to use it for another purpose entirely.
It’s worth remembering that buying new can just mean new to us, there are plenty of opportunities for buying second hand these days. Or instead of buying, could you borrow or swap or even pick up an item for free?
Whether it be furniture; electricals and other household items; or even clothing and textiles, we have some wonderful ideas on our website to get you started. |
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| Preparing your home for winter months |
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 | We know the weather is warm right now but the Warm Homes Team at Leicestershire County Council are here to help with advice on how to reduce energy bills and help maintain affordable warmth, ready for the winter months.
The Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) has been underutilised for prepayment meters; this is the £400 payment split into £66/£67 payments from October 2022. With thousands of existing vouchers still to be redeemed, the deadline to redeem vouchers at your local Post Office has now been extended until 30 June 2023. If you have not received any of your vouchers, or your vouchers have expired, please contact your electricity energy supplier direct.
For more information regarding the EBSS, please visit the GOV.UK’s Help For Households website. | | Find out more here |
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Sign up to our newsletter to be notified of any new grants or support offers. | | Sign up here |
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For more information and advice from our Warm Homes support officers, fill out a self-referral form via First Contact Plus. | | First Contact Plus |
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Do you know about glorious gluts? |
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A survey commissioned in 2022 found that more than two-fifths (44 per cent) of people with either a garden, allotment or balcony garden were growing their own produce as a means of coping with high food costs. Whatever your reason for doing so, growing some of your own food is undoubtedly a wonderful thing to do, although dealing with sudden gluts of produce can be tricky
We’ve put together a quick guide to help you make the most of an abundance of home grown produce. |
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All go with Net Zero Innovation Programme |
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The Carbon Reduction team at Leicestershire County Council have been working alongside the University of Leicester for the Net Zero Innovation Programme (NZIP).
NZIP is organised by the Local Government Association and encourages partnerships between researchers and climate change officers.
The project which we and the University of Leicester have been working on, aims to improve inclusivity and representation in consultations and engage more Leicestershire residents in the climate conversation.
Four different methods have been trialled at a few different events across the county, including Picnic in the Park in Coalville and Carnival Day in Harborough. The methods include a game similar to Monopoly, cultural animation, art, and a digital engagement platform. |
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| Reusable sanitary products |
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Did you know that in the UK disposal of single-use menstrual products such as pads, tampons and their applicators generates about 200,000 tonnes of waste per year?
Reducing this amount of waste can be achieved by using reusable alternatives that offer a sustainable alternative to using disposable products.
Reusable menstrual products now come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are widely available to buy in supermarkets or online, so you will hopefully be able to find something that suits you and your needs. Some of the more popular and well-known options include menstrual cups, which could be for you if you currently use tampons, reusable sanitary pads, and reusable period pants!
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