Composting

Currently, Wiltshire Council does not collect food waste from households for recycling.  Instead, residents (council tax payers) are offered a discount on a food waste/hot composter:

https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/reducing-your-waste-and-composting

The Green Johanna hot composter is offered at a discount price of £66 compared with the normal price of £145.  Households can order one by calling Great Green Systems on 0113 323 5780 and providing your postcode to benefit from the Wiltshire Council subsidised cost.

Kerbside Recycling

Wiltshire Council does collect cardboard, paper, tins, aluminium foil (collect and roll up foil so that it is at least the size of a tennis ball so that the recycling sorting machines can spot it), bottles and glass, and rigid plastics, via the fortnightly kerbside collections.

Soft Plastics

Supermarkets throughout Chippenham now collect flexible (soft plastic) for recycling.  You need to take it to the supermarket (make sure the soft plastic is clean) where collection bins are provided. Most supermarkets also collect batteries for recycling.

Beauty packaging and tooth brushes

Boots the Chemist collect empty health and beauty packaging and used toothbrushes. Empty medicine blister packs are collected at the pharmacy at Superdrug in Westgate, Bath. Used pens and biros are collected at St Andrews Church (which also has abra bank, as does Inspire Gym on Union Road).

Reducing Waste

Best of all is to reduce waste in the first place.  Could you grow more fruit and veg (no packaging required)? Could you plan meals/make more use of your freezer to cut down on food waste?  Clearly, there’s a double whammy of saving money as well as helping to save the planet.  Local shops that offer refill schemes for household consumables such as washing up liquid and detergent include Cousin Norman’s on Union Road and Allington Farm shop.

Uniform Exchanges

When it comes to clothing recycling, Cousin Norman’s has organised school uniform exchanges during the summer holidays.  This very successful initiative has saved the purchase of thousands of new items, as unwanted items are re-homed, as well as saving families significant sums of money. We also have the new Chippenham Uniform Exchange operating in schools throughout the town.

Information sources

It’s Worth looking on Eventbrite and Nextdoor for details of forthcoming events. Freegle, Chippenham Facebook For Sale and Wanted, Ebay, etc, also offera way to re-home ‘preloved’ items.We don’t have a Repair Café in Chippenham (although we have excellent cobblers and tailors).  Nearby Repair Cafes are in Corsham and Bath.

Charity Shops

We have charity shops galore in Chippenham.  The volunteers who help out in the shops, and the donors, are heroic.  We even have a second-hand boutique for bridal wear and brides-to-be travel miles to visit the Oxfam boutique.   Four charity shops that are located away from the main centre of Chippenham are: Barnardo Charity Shop in Pewsham, Waste Not Want Not on Hungerdown Lane, Salvation Army on New Road and YMCA in Emery Gate.

We can all do more to reduce household waste – go to it!  How about getting kids involved with a challenge to reduce waste at home (and at school)? – Sue Cassell – Zero Waste Lead