I shal be displaying this at the recycling centre later today.
Thiss amount doesn't include moneythat has been generated by book sales since this March  and the income from Takeback Ltd for recycling cartridges, since the end of last year.
No news, as yet about the work that needs to be done to improve the children's toilets.

Busy Book Recycling

This summer has been very busy for the recycling centre--our 20th year. Loads of wonderful fiction and non-fiction paper and hardbacks have been left in my porch and deposited in the wheelie bin at the recycling centre. Unsuitable ones contribute to the weight in the paper banks. Other are put on a stall by my gate .Others are sold on the internet. The book below is on Ebay  As new, it'sunusual and  a bargain!

It’s always good to receive feedback from people that have bought books online. These two recent comments are from people that have bought from over 200 books that are on my page at Green Metropolis

 John from Aylesbury wrote

“Thank you so much for sending the Medieval Wall Paintings book so promptly.  Excellent condition – I really am not fussed about an inscription on the inside cover!

It’s a great service you provide. With my very best wishes.   ”

And Mary from Abergavenny wrote

“This book was beautifully wrapped and contained a lovely note. Thanks so much!”

I also have a shop on Amazon. All the books are in very good condition or better—even the antique ones.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/shops/ecomaid

https://www.greenmetropolis.com/member.aspx?id=132139

Hadleigh Green Fair

Spent the day selling second hand books and new copies of Old Knobbley and  talking about Buckle's Wood. Lots of interest all round and Old Knobbley seemed to be quite famous!

A mammoth task.

The PTA and the recycling fundraising schemes have a huge target this year.
The children's toilets need refurbishing (Suffolk County Council has no money due to budget cuts) and extra resources are needed for the new curriculum.
So the target is a massive £12,000.
I was sorting out books to sell, I was trying to think of an appropriate slogan for our campaign.
Books for Bogs came to mind, but perhaps A Read for the Toilets would be more acceptable?

Still recycling

 

I apologise for the slight pause with blogging over the winter, partly due to sorting out the recycling accounts and then getting used to a new laptop when my very old computer died.

 

Our  recycling centre was opened 20 years ago!  The drawings above are from that time and are self portraits drawn by some of the children that I taught. My weekly assemblies were always about caring for our environment (in  its broadest sense, from waste to wonder) with the children went to secondary school  quite a few of them were eco-warriors  and still are, I hope!

We continue to collect paper, glass, textiles, drinks cartons, books and aluminium cans at our recycling centre in the fenced off area at the end of the school playground.

I  pick up toner and inkjet cartridges from local companies and Takeback Ltd  collects  from other local and national companies on our behalf.

Spectacles are given to Vision Aid Overseas, via our local optician and aluminium foil is collected   by members of the Sudbury Resource Centre.

Everyone can do their bit to help the environment and there's a wonderful new website hat can inspire you. Check it out 

 www.worldchanging.me

 

 

Company rescues Can Crushing efforts!

I bought this super, sturdy can crusher from Home Recycling about 8 years ago. Last weekend the black crushing mechanism  on the lid broke. Home Recycling came to the rescue and  the new part was attached  to a cleaned lid, ready for action! 
Our thanks to Chris Hasling and his team. This is a small, successful company, provides an excellent, friendly service. Great!

A good read

We started collecting unwanted books a couple of years ago and I've been amazed at the quantity and quality of books that have been left at the recycling centre; too many to sell locally and at the gate!
So I've set up a store on Amazon for the best "as new" books and other, older and antique and interesting paper and hardbacks. All at avery reasonable prices!
www.amazon.co.uk/shops/ecomaid

Have a look. Would Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls by Harvey Minkoff be of interest?
It doesn't appear to have been read!

THE BIG GAP

There are no sinister reasons for the lack of postings since September. I've just been busy doing other things, as well as recycling!
However, there has been a lot of extra activity at the recycling centre to insure that all the textiles that are left there, are not stolen by the rogue traders, a nationwide problem it would seem.

TEXTILE BANK AND ROGUE TRADERS

I have a key to our textile bank and keep a check on the amount left there, so I know when items disappear. Then, the police and Black Country Rags are informed, but these thieves seem to be able to carry our their dastardly trade unhindered! I suspect that most textile banks are not monitored, so that most schools and charities who recycle textiles for fundraising purposes, have no idea that these people are taking money from their good cause.

UPDATE

Following this, the police stopped two male occupants in a white transit van, which was full of textiles. more textile banks have been raided in Stowmarket and I'm pleased to report that our local council is taking this very seriously.

They have sent a letter to all organisations that have recycling facilities, warning them about rogue traders and asking everyone to be vigilant and report any suspicious incidents involving

people in unmarked vans trying to gain access to clothing banks.

They are also liaisoning with BCR Global Textiles, who in turn are going to replace our bank witha new, NO ACCESS to anyone who doesn't know the code

B R I L L I A N T

Money Matters

RECYCLING
to help the environment,
as well as raising funds

At about this time every year I send the records for the recycling fund to the accountants Larking Gowen to be checked. Next term, I shall give a copy of their report to the Governors.
The income for this year is quite pleasing, bearing in mind that a lot of textiles were taken from our textile bank at the end of last year.
Most of the money raised derives from the cartridges that are donated from local and national companies and the weight credits from the paper, glass and textile banks (just over £3800.00).
We raised an extra £200.00 plus from aluminium cans, CDs and book sales.
Not bad for a small village school, with less than 100 pupils.

Recycling Books

I've been really surprised by the quality and quantity of books that have been left at the recycling centre over the last yearor so. Some are obviously unwanted presents, unblemished and unread! Others have perhaps been read once and then discarded. When I ran out of storage space, I decided to sell the best ones at the gate. The sign says it all!

Win one--lose one

The diggers and workman arrived the week before Christmas and managed to make a start on the new playground area, before the snow got too bad. The topsoil has been removed and some of it will be used to fill in the pond in the school's small,wildlife area.
Older than the school, the pond and its surrounding area, were improved when the recycling area was developed, but has since become shaded by nearby trees and been impinged upon by the new footpath along the road.
S0, great news about the new play area and a sad goodbye to the pond.

Rogue Traders

Most people will have had one of these charity bags put through their door, asking for old clothes/textiles/bric-a-bracor toys, the proceeds of which will be given to a "good cause"

This one arrived, a few weeks before Christmas. On the appropriate day, a van with bearing the Clothesaid logo, toured the village to collect that bags that had been left out at the kerbside. I have no reason to believe that this scheme is not a legitimate one.

However, I've been aware for some time, that the textile recycling industry is plagued by "rogue traders". their scams include picking the bags up before the legitimate collectors and distributing bags and collecting for fake charities.

My interest in this was heightened last month, when I went to put all the lose items into bags and realised that our textile bank had been raided. The stupid people had left evidence of their illegal actions behind. So they are also gaining access to textile banks and helping themselves to clothing, which they can sell at car boot sales, markets and even, perhap, legitimate textile companies-- who knows? Textiles are quite valuable just now.

The police are are aware of the problem and are keeping an eye on our recycling centre, but it seems that the only way to catch these people is to make a note of the vehicle registration number or take a photo of them doing their dastardly deed. Many schools and most supermarkets have textile banks and the question is -- would you be suspicious to see a bank being emptied by a man with a van?

P.S. Black Country Rags will still continue to collect the textiles that are donated to school, but the procedure will be slightly different! So kind supporters,

PLEASE CONTINUE TO BRING

YOUR TEXTILES TO OUR RECYCLING CENTRE

New Reycling Scheme

We have just joined a new fundraising, recycling

scheme, which is just right for schools.

When we have filled a box with used plastic pens, (biros, highlighters, markers and felt tips etc), we can print a postage label from Terracycle's website, sit back and wait for the postman to deliver the cheque!

If you would like to support our efforts, please post your pens to Elmsett School, The Street, Elmsett. IP7 6PA

Aluminium Cans

Last Saturday we borrowed a van, filled it with crushed aluminium cans and took them to Whip Street Motors, where they were weighed and then unloaded, ready to be crushed and baled.
We were paid--another £180.00 for the recycling fund. When we have another load, Whip Street Motors will supply a skip for the recycling centre, free of charge, which will make life a lot easier for us!!

I have banned steel food and drink cans, as too many were being left at the recycling centre with the remains of their contents inside and although they are heavier the alu-cans, they are not as valuable.

We still save aluminium foil, which we give to The Sudbury Resource Centre. They collected the load below in the pouring rain yesterday

Recycling your Christmas cards

We used to recycle our Christmas cards with Tesco, to help The Woodland Trust raise funds for planting trees. This year only WH Smith, TK Maxx and M&S are listed on their website as participating companies

As it will not be easy to deliver to these stores, which are in the middle of Ipswich, we shall be taking our bin liners full of cards to Sainsbury and the money raised will benefit the Forest Stewardship Council.

Morrisons are collecting cards for a second year. The Salvation Army is their chosen charity.

So far, so good

This photo was taken at the end of the summer holiday. Now most of the end of the playground is taken up with equipment, building materials and of course, the new building and access ramps.
Difficult conditions for everyone to cope with, and nowhere for the children to play, when the weather is wet and they can't use the meadow to let off steam!
The new building is scheduled to be completed by Christmas., when I expect the recycling fund will help to provide "additional extras".

So I was really pleased to receive a bank payment of £814.46 in August, from Babergh District Council. The second amount of recycling weight credits this year.

The Bee's Knees

Teaching children about recycling and caring for our environment in a practical way, can be an ideal introduction to learning about all the issues that will effect on our planet's future. Sustainable use of our dwindling resources and climate change are perhaps the two most urgent problems.

So why the bee photo?
Well, some authorities believe that their global decline is a good indication of worsening environmental conditions.
Why Bee's Knees? (Something outstandingly good)
The Recycling Fund's paperwork has just been returned by our accountants, Larking Gowen. It shows a healthy income of £3,875.27 last year, which is less than previous years, but when you consider the economic slow-down and the amount of waste that we have rescued from landfill sites, it's great!

Some new recycling fundraisers

Don't throw them away! If they are in their original cases, Music Magpie will pay for them and then sell them to new, appreciative customers.
However, if you are feeling magnanimous, you could post your unwanted goods to Elmsett CEVC Primary School IP7 6PA and help our small, very green Eco-school to raise funds for two large projects that are in the planning process.
The building work for the final extensiion is due to start later this year and as it will take up a large area of the playground, plans are afoot to have an all-weather surface area constructed on the meadow, next to the school.

Money Well Spent

The new covered area, paid for by the recycling fund, has just been completed.
It will be a super space for the younger children to do outdoor activities, and the only sheltered place for parents to gather at the beginning and end of school.

The school owes a great deal to all the companies that support our cartridge recycling program and all the people who use our community recycling centre. I don't know the total cost of our new structure yet, but it will be around £9,000. Thank you all very much. You have improved the "school experience" for pupils and parents in one go. Excellent!

Recycling Credits

We were fortunate that the end of our playground was accessible to the public and could be sectioned off from the area where the children play. It was an ideal site for our recycling centre.

Not many other schools would be able to do this, which is a shame, because the educational, enviromental and monetary benefits have proved to be well worth the effort of setting it up.

I've just been sent details of the recycling credits that we shall receive from Babergh District Council, for each tonne of glass, paper and textiles that is collected from our centre. (£30.86, £35.46 and £145.46 respectively). This usually amounts to about £1,000.00 a year.

At the moment, cartridge recycling is not as profitable as it used to be, however, with support from Takeback Ltd., this scheme still raises a lot of funds for our pupils.