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Fife's Zero Waste Volunteer News
As we enter the 2nd month of 2012, there still time to think about a ZERO WASTE New Year's Resolution. This is what Fife Zero Waste Volunteer Programme, covering the whole of Fife, aspires to! Volunteer with us to help achieve this aspiration across Fife and you'll get lots of training and support from Fife's two Zero Waste Volunteer coordinators, Kirsty and Rod.
On the 24th January we had a great Burn's supper and training evening at the Love Food Hate Waste Training Centre here at the Centre for Stewardship in Fakland. It was good fun and enjoyed by our vounteers. Rod's veggie haggis recipe went down well - here's the recipe:
Veggie Haggis (for 4) Ingredients 6oz. whole brown lentils 6 oz. rice (long-grain or wild rice/ long grain mix) 1/3rd pint extra virgin olive oil (or a ¼ if that looks too much to you) 2 large onions (or 1) ½ teaspoon black pepper Up to 1 teaspoon salt (depending on your blood pressure) ½ pint boiling water Spice mix for onions (I use heaped tea spoon cumin and coriander plus generous amount of oregano) but you can vary this. Method • Put lentils in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to boil. Lower heat cover and simmer up to 25mins. or until lentils are almost cooked and water mostly evaporated. • Meanwhile, in frying pan/ wok heat oil and add onions. Add spice mixture, cook till soft. Reserve ¼ to ½ of onions and oil. Stir rest into lentils • Add salt/ pepper and boiling water & bring back to boil- stir in rice and bring back to boil. Lower heat cover and simmer for 20 mins. • Remove from heat. Leave to stand for 10/ 15 mins. • Pile onto plate & garnish with reserved onions and oil. Enjoy! Goes really well with clapshot!The leftover haggis was enjoyed the next night at Kirsty's house as haggis balls (shallow fried having added an egg and formed balls), which the children loved! Rod had the leftover tatties for breakfast and the pudding disappeared on the night so no other leftovers.
The training was on recycling and lots of questions were raised on the night which Kirsty is currently trying to find well-rounded answers to!
We have got plenty coming up in the next few months including an open day at Falkland on 25th February, a visit to Binn Eco Park to see where our food waste goes in Feb, compost workshops and Love Food Hate Waste training sessions to be held here at Falkland. We will also be out and about across Fife attending events like the Fife Show and linking up with other groups such as Fife Diet, Greener Kirkcaldy and Clear Buckhaven.
That's all without even mentioning Big Tent Festival, which we will be getting stuck into planning our involvement with very soon. We don't ask for a certain amount of time from our volunteers, you can help out as much as you like and are able to. You can help shape what we do , as the volunteers decide what things they would like to get involved with and we are always open to new ideas!
Kirsty and Rod, Volunteer coordinators
Zero Waste Volunteer Programme
Welcome to the Zero Waste Voluteering Programme! We’re working in partnership with Zero Waste Scotland, aiming to turn Fife into a zero waste society, but to do this we need your help!
You can do your bit by reducing your waste at home, or even better, join our team of volunteers to go out into Fife promoting the aims of our campaign. This site should provide you with all the information you need on what you can do and what we are doing.
The aim of zero waste scotland is waste prevention and waste reduction. For more details, see their website at www.zerowastescotland.org.uk. In Fife, we are pursuing four main strands of the zero waste message.
- Love Food Hate Waste
- Home Composting
- Stop the Drop
- Recycle Now
Volunteering
Do you have some free time? Are you interested in making Scotland a greener, more sustainable society? If yes, join us! Volunteers are key to the success of the Zero Waste campaign. Your local knowledge and community connections are essential to driving our campaign forward and making it all happen.
Volunteering is as varied and flexible as you want it to be, fitting around your own plans. Tasks can include:
- attending events
- holding workshops
- home visits
- passing out advice
- advertising the campaign
- handing out leaflets at any groups you attend
These are completely dependant upon each volunteer and what they want to do (some even choose to sit in bins!) If you think you have a few hours to spare, even as little as once a month, and you are interested in helping Fife reduce its carbon footprint and becoming a Scottish Leader in the Zero Waste campaign, please contact us!
No matter who you are and what you do, we would be delighted to have you on board the volunteer team!
What you get:
Training
Development of personal skills
Opportunity to meet new people
Be more involved in your community
Be a key player in moving Fife towards the target of only 5% landfill waste by 2025 and towards Scotland being a world leader in sustainability.
To volunteer, please download the form below. You can return it by post or e-mail. For more information call Kirsty Martin, Zero Waste Coordinator on 01337 858838 or 07900 350756
or e-mail her at: kirsty@centreforstewardship.org.uk
Download the volunteer application form.
Events
Take a look at what our volunteers have attended and have coming up. Come along for a good day out and you'll have the opportunity to talk to one of our team. If you ARE a volunteer already and want to go along, contact us and we'll set it up!
2012 Events
Compost workshop at Clear Buckhaven - 5th Feb
Visit to Binn Eco Park on 21st Feb, along with volunteers from Perth and Kinross.
Open day at the Centre for Stewardship in Falkland - 25th Feb
Sustainability Fair at St Andrews University - 25th Feb
Compost workshop at St Andrews Botanics - 31st March
Fife Show (Cupar) - Sat 19th May
Central and West Fife Show (Kelty) - Sat 2nd June
Dalgety Bay Gala Day - Sat 9th June
Big Tent Festival - Sat/Sun 21-22 July
News
December 2011 Pupils from primary schools around Fife have been in competition with one another to create a beautiful design for their school compost bin. Congratulations to Megan from primary 7, South Parks Primary School Glenrothes for her fantastic compost bin design. Megan worked with local artist Lindi Knowles to transfer the design on to the bin. Megan wins both art material vouchers for herself and gardening vouchers for the school.
December 2011: Heather Deans of Freuchie won our Zero Waste Christmas Hamper for her great Zero Waste recipe.
December 2011 MSP praises our volunteers in Parliament!
*S4M-01559 Roderick Campbell: North East Fife Recycling—That the Parliament recognises the efforts of volunteers at Falkland Centre for Stewardship in North East Fife in promoting recycling; considers that an important motto for everyone in Scotland with regard to waste is reduce, reuse, recycle; believes that conserving resources is a powerful means of protecting the environment that enables more resources to be invested in useful economic pursuits, and considers that the target of a zero waste Scotland is an admirable goal that sets an excellent example that, hopefully, other nations will take note of.
21st July: Third Force News
We've made it into the news again! Falkland Centre for Stewardship will be the hub of Love Food Hate Waste in Scotland, with cooking and training workshops being held in our lovely, newly refurnished stables.
18th July: Press Release
Zero Waste Scotland chose Falkland for their press release launching their new, volunteer led initiative. Have a look at what they are saying about the new initiative by clicking on the link above.
Apple Press and Pasteuriser
Apple Season
Do you have an apple tree groaning with more fruit than you can possible crunch through before it rots? Or several? Fear not. We can help make sure your extra apples aren't going to waste if you just cant face another crumble. The Apple Press and Pasteuriser are coming to visit Falkland Centre for Stewardship for apple season, available for public use. Turn those apples into delicious apple juice!
Apple Press and Pasteuriser For Hire.
Prices
Home use
Half Day: £10+VAT
Full Day: £15+VAT
Pasteuriser: £5+VAT for a full day
Schools: Free use
Using at the Stables Workshop
Half Day: £25+VAT
Full Day: £50+VAT
Using the Workshop includes use of all equipment, electric, water & pasteuriser.
Schools: n/a
Please note that a deposit will also be required which will be returned to you once press/pasteuriser is returned in the condition hired out.
If you are interested in hiring out the press or pasteuriser, fill out the form and return back to us.
Apple Press and Pasteuriser Form (opens in pop-up window).
You Tube - Polly and Apple Pressing
This incredibly helpful film was made by Polly, one of Fife's top apple pressers! We'd encourage you to watch the film (about 15 minutes) to get an idea of how to press.
Apple Open Days
In addition to hiring out the press, we are holding open days, where you can bring your apples to the Centre and press them here. Here's the deal - there are one hour slots on each of these days at 10am, 11am, 12noon, 2pm, 3pm. You can bring up to 30 kilos of apples, our trainer will be on hand to guide you through the process and in return for every three bottles you produce, we will keep one. You can bring your own bottles or glass/plastic containers or we can provide Vigo 75cl green juice bottles at a charge of £1. As a rough guide 30 kilos will give you 10 litres of juice (you might be surprised and get a little bit more). Interested? Then email wendy@centreforstewardship.org.uk.
Our Campaigns
Love Food Hate Waste
Breaking News!
Zero Waste Scotland have chosen the Falkland Centre for Stewardship as the base for their Scottish wide Love Food Hate Waste training centre!
The Centre for Stewardship's Zero Waste Coordinator is helping to set-up the training programme for zero waste coordinators and volunteers frm across the whole of Scotland.
Sessions will be given by Fife's food ambassador, Christopher Trotter and Fife Diet's chairperson, Wendy Gudmundsson over the next few months.
Keep watching the Zero Waste page for updates.
Concerned about the environmental impact of all that food you throw away? Looking to save a few pounds on your grocery bill? Well read on, loving food and hating waste can reduce your carbon footprint and save you money!
Official figures show that Scottish households waste an average of £430 per year on unused food. A total of 566,000 tonnes of food are thrown out across the country every year, two thirds of which could have been avoided if meals had been effectively planned, stored and managed. Just think what you could do with that extra £430 in your pocket!
Wasted food is not only bad for your bank account, but bad for the climate too. There are hidden environmental costs all down the production line. From transportation to storage to sale, each stage is resource hungry, requiring water, energy and packaging. Uneaten food that goes to landfill will break down anaerobically (without oxygen), producing methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas that produces 20 TIMES as much warming as Carbon Dioxide.
It is estimated that if avoidable waste was consumed, it would prevent 1.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere, the equivalent of taking a quarter of all cars off of Scottish roads!
Love Food Hate Waste aims to raise awareness of the economic and environmental impact of food waste. It offers practical advice on how to reduce food waste and save money, demonstrating how good management, preparation and storage can minimise the amount of food you need to buy and what is thrown out.
Have a look on the LFHW website for hints, tips and tasty recipes for leftovers.
There are also new and exciting tools to help you in your battle against food waste. Mobile apps are available for downloading on iPhone and Android, which can help you with portion sizes and give you dieas for recipes with food you have in your fridge. These tools are available online too, ensuring you don’t waste a crumb! Our Facebook page, Twitter account and Blog will keep you up-to-date with all the latest news from Love Food Hate Waste, and help you to get involved in the campaign right here in Fife!
We will be keeping the website updated with food events around Fife, so be sure to visit the site regularly for information on where, when and what we have lined up!
Home Composting
Composting is such an easy way of getting rid of the food that you just cant help throwing out. It stops the organic materials going to landfill and producing
For more information, go to the Zero Waste Scotland Composting site.
Stop the Drop
Sick of all that unwanted mail being delivered to ‘The Occupier”, to people that 
don’t live in your house anymore, or the marketing mail sent directly to you. Take yourself off these mailing lists to save the posty an aching back and save a whole load of excess paper being thrown into the bin unread. To find out how, visiit the stop the drop website.
Recycle Now!
Reduce, reuse, recycle. We have heard it a million times, but how well do you stick to the 3 R’s? Why is it so important? What happens to the waste when it’s put into the mysterious recycling bin? Does it really make a difference?
Sticking to the 3 R’s, we use less resources, less energy, send less to landfill and ultimately help protect the environment. To find out more, visit recycle now.
If we reduce and reuse, we cut down on the need to recycle. Some easy ways are donating old clothes, selling on unwanted items instead of throwing them out and buying second hand. Keep an eye out here for clever ways of breathing some life back into unwanted items.
If you are unsure about what you can recycle and what you cant, have a look at the Fife Council website. This is a great website, stuffed with information about the 4 bin service in operation, when your bins are collected, what you can put into your bins and what else you can recycle at different points around Fife. You can also check out Fife’s success rate (a whopping 48% recycled last year. Well done all!)
Working together, we can build a stronger and greener Fife.
For further information, please contact us on 01337 858838 or e-mail us at info@centreforstewardship.org.uk .