Is it enough just to recycle?
We have recycling bins or boxes for plastic, cans, glass, card and paper at the kerbside, and recycling crates for the same materials at the seafront car park. There are also recycling points for batteries, pens and medicine blister packs at St Bees Post Office, dental items outside 61 Main Street and snack packaging at the beach café; there is even a collection tub for soft plastics at the back of St Bees Priory. So, plenty of opportunities for recycling!
While it’s far better to recycle waste items than send them to landfill or for incineration, recycling still uses a lot of energy, so it’s a last resort and should be limited to items that can no longer be used. For items that you no longer want or need, reuse by someone else is the best option. And by reusing preloved items, this reduces our reliance on new products. The extraction of raw materials, manufacture of items and transport at each stage uses energy and, as a result, produces greenhouse gases. So, choosing preloved items can help reduce your carbon footprint. You also preserve resources, such as water, and save on packaging by choosing preloved goods. And if you’re looking to reduce your consumption further, repairing items can extend the life of your clothes, toys, electrical and household goods.
We informally pass items on to friends and you will often see items outside people’s houses in St Bees that are “free to a good home.” You can list items on St Bees Parish Buy and Sell or St Bees Parish Share Swap and Give Away groups on Facebook, but these groups are a good place to find preloved items and advertise for items wanted too.
If you have books to pass on or are looking for some new titles to read, there is the Little Free Library outside 61 Main Street. You can also browse the book shelves in the baptistry at St Bees Priory and the beach café, where you can leave a donation for any books that you take. St Bees School also holds an annual book swap for charity.
While clothes can be recycled via the collection points at the beach and station car parks, there is a Recycle With Michael clothing bank at St Bees Village Primary School, which raises money for the Salvation Army and the primary school. St Bees Green Future also runs a quarterly clothes swap. If you have clothes and accessories that are still in good condition, bring them along to the start of a clothes swap – look out for details of the next one! Once hung up and everyone has had chance to browse, you can then take as many items as you would like to. Preloved uniform is also available via St Bees Village Primary School.
Children grow quickly and develop new interests, so the preloved sales for children’s items that have restarted in the village are a great place to pick up clothes, toys, games and books for your children. These are now run jointly by St Bees Green Future and St Bees VSA, helping to raise money for St Bees Village Primary School.
That’s just what we are doing in St Bees at the moment. If you can’t find the preloved items that you’re looking for here, why not try Egremont Car Boot Fair, West Lakes Freecycle group, one of the local charity shops or the various buy swap and sell groups around West Cumbria?