LCBC Eco Initiatives Doing our part to help reduce environmental impact
We all share responsibility to take care of both our local environment and our global environment. ♻🌍🗑♻
The health of the planet is directly linked to human survival, economic stability, and quality of life. Human activity currently uses resources faster than the Earth can replenish them, leading to climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution that causes an estimated 9 million premature deaths annually.
We already try to reduce the impact of food waste through our Eco Market as we recognise the effect that food waste can contribute towards global warming.
Food no longer fit for human consumption is passed on to smallholders and farmers for animals not in the food chain. Whenever possible, we compost leftovers, collect rainwater using water butts, add scraps like banana peels to water for plant nourishment, and scatter eggshells to both keep pests away and supply additional nutrients.
When we found more opportunities to reduce environmental impact, we jumped at the chance. Cue our new Bra Bank and Ink Cartridge boxes. A big bonus is that by donating you old bras or used ink cartridges, you will be helping Little Chefs Big Chefs by raising funds that allow us to do MORE in our community!
Bra Bank
Fast fashion in the UK creates a huge amount of waste, with 300,000 tonnes of used clothing being landfilled or incinerated each year—more per person than anywhere else in Europe.
We need to shift our focus from impulsively buying and discarding fast fashion to making thoughtful purchasing decisions; however, some waste is inevitable when clothes get damaged.
There are many initiatives that promote reusing garments or turning them into rags. Since we can’t accommodate clothing rails or a donation bank at our site, we’re excited to become a registered Bra Bank host. This program lets community members drop off their new or old bras, which can be given a second life for vulnerable women or recycled.
Ink Cartridge Recycling
Printing plays a significant role in our administrative work, from creating publicity materials and risk assessments to health & safety sheets and general information. Although we work to limit printing, it still consumes considerable ink.
By joining an inkjet cartridge recycling scheme and inviting our community to participate, we help prevent plastic, metal, and ink residue from leeching toxins and pollutants in landfills for centuries.
Manufacturing a new ink cartridge can generate up to 8kg of CO2 and nearly a pound of oil waste. Recycled cartridges undergo professional testing and cleaning before being refilled and sold again. These provide the same high-quality prints as new cartridges, but are less expensive, since manufacturers reuse existing cartridges rather than make new ones from scratch.
Recycling your printer cartridges helps conserve natural resources and energy. Remarkably, up to 97% of materials used in making ink and printer cartridges can be recovered and reused. Empty or unused cartridges also supply valuable plastic for other uses and help lower our carbon footprint.
Alternatively, if you wish to recycle your cartridges by post, you can send them directly to Recycle 4 Charity if you have a sufficient amount (details on the link). Just select Little Chefs Big Chefs as your nominated charity.
Battery Collection Point
We can’t forget our battery collection point which we started back in 2023.
