BUNGAY: Give and Take

It’s that time of year again when everything starts afresh. The green is returning to the landscape, seeds are being sown and stuff is being thrown out. And not to your local recycling centre and into landfill but to another Give and Take Day on Saturday 21st April 10am-1pm at the Community Centre in Bungay.

If you’ve got something in decent condition that you no longer need – whether it’s an item of furniture, clothes, kitchenware, garden tools, books or toys (but NO electricals please) – bring it along and we’ll find it a new home. You might just find a hidden gem and all for free. There can be great encounters with people, and the history of their unwanted objects can make for some interesting stories. You never know what’s going to come through the door. Anything that hasn’t found a new owner by the end of the day will be collected by the local Emmaus centre in Ditchingham.

You don’t have to bring something in order to take something away, everything must go!

With a hose pipe ban in operation across parts of the valley, many of us are religiously emptying our baths with a watering can. There is a simple satisfaction in not letting water go to waste. And it makes us more conscious of the circulation of resources into and out of our homes and lives. Do we use more than we need? Do we consider the lifecycle of each piece of rubbish that’s dropped into the black bin?

Much of what we throw away will sit in the ground for a very very long time. By becoming aware of this fact we can influence our daily actions and reduce our personal impact on the planet – and feel great about it! Whether it’s driving, eating, buying, or simply enjoying ourselves we can change our lives in so many ways. We can live more slowly, more softly, more simply or even go on a Rubbish diet. The Rubbish Diet was started in 2008 by Karen Cannard in Bury St. Edmunds who took up a week long challenge to seriously reduce the amount of rubbish going into her family’s “Black Bin”. It really took off and you can find out all about it at our next Green Drinks evening at the Green Dragon (Tues 17th April). You might even decide you want to give it a go.

So I challenge you now to have a jolly good rummage for all that stuff you really don’t need that’s cluttering up your space and bring it along to the Community Centre in Upper Olland Street, Bungay on Saturday 21st April 10am-1pm, where there will also be an opportunity for some free bicycle maintenance. Refreshments by Happy Mondays at the Community Kitchen crew.

To arrange collections for large or heavy items contact Eloise 01986 788785 eloise.wilkinson@gmail.com