The Waste Aware Team has secured almost £11,000 from WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) to promote the use of Real Nappies in the Western Isles.

Waste Aware Western Isles are promoting real nappy use to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.  Three billion nappies a year - eight million a day - are thrown away in the UK. As well as saving waste, parents can save £500 on the cost of nappies for one baby, and more if they use them again on another baby.

The Western Isles Real Nappy Incentive Scheme will involve three strands; a Real Nappy Network for the Western Isles (one for Uist and Barra and one for Lewis and Harris), resource packs for all Health Visitors and Health Clinics and a Real Nappy Pack for all pregnant and new parents of  babies up to 6 months old.  Any pregnant or existing parents interested in receiving their Real Nappy Gift Bag should contact the Waste Aware Helpline on 01851 709900 for an application form.

Since January this year Tolsta Chaolais Residents Association have been running a pilot recycling collection scheme which involves volunteers from the Association collecting Plastics, Glass, Cans and Paper from each household which they then take to a designated recycling container in the village.

Up to the end of August, the association collected 6 tonnes of recyclable materials from 42 households for processing at the Bennadrove Recycling Centre.  The Association feel this is a worthwhile scheme and residents in the village have noticed a huge reduction in the waste going into their wheelie bins.  The Waste Aware Team would like to thank all the residents in Tolsta Chaolais for their hard work.

 

 

Earlier this year 1,134 pupils from 21 schools across the Western Isles took part in the Yellow Woods Challenge.  The schools collected 2.6 tonnes of old Yellow Pages directories which were sent to the mainland for processing into recycled paper products. Craigston Primary School celebrated winning £300, 2nd came Lewis Independent Christian School winning £200 and Knock Primary School came third receiving £100.  Back Junior Secondary School won the £100 cash prize for collecting the most Yellow Pages directories in total (481).  All participating schools were automatically entered into the UK Finals, where they could win a top prize of £2,000 cash. For every pound awarded to schools in prize money, a matching pound is given to the Woodland Trust to support its new ‘Tree For All’ campaign.  Yellow Pages also awarded native tree saplings to the top three winning schools and to Shelibost Primary School, Barvas Primary School and Sandwickhill School for achieving 4^th, 5^th and 6^th place in the local Yellow Woods Challenge.