In a waste survey conducted in June 2005 97% of households felt that there is a need for sensitive waste disposal, 91% would like Scilly to actively promote sustainable tourism, and 79% would like to recycle more. Scilly Waste aims to turn these sentiments into reality by working with all facets of society to increase waste minimisation, recycling and composting opportunities through encouragement, information dissemination and practical solutions.

This project has been funded by The Countryside Agency, the Waste Partnership Fund and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

Scilly’s isolation makes dealing with waste a challenging issue – the key factors include:

Cost – Exporting waste to the mainland is expensive and at current rates of waste production is simply not economically viable.

Location – Landfill is not an option as Scilly only has 16km² of land.

Tourism – The main economic activity on Scilly is tourism. Whilst this supports the community economically it creates a great deal of extra waste.

Distance – Markets for recycled products are remote and not an option due to transport costs. Local solutions need to be sought that allow waste to be reduced and recycled locally.

Whether you live on or visit Scilly, there are many things you can do to make a difference. Combining many individual actions can help reduce the amount of waste produced by the community as a whole – always remember, even small things can make a big difference.

You can significantly reduce your waste by following the 3 Rs of the Waste Hierarchy – REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE.

Shop Smart – Reduce the amount of rubbish you produce in the first place by:

1-   Choosing products with less packaging – for example, buy loose fruit and vegetables instead of pre-packaged ones.

2-   Buying packaging that is easier to recycle. For example, choose glass and cardboard over plastic.

3-   Choosing quality, long-lasting products instead of disposable ones. For example, reusable razors instead of throwaways, rechargeable batteries, and washable nappies instead of disposables.

4-   Buying in bulk and choosing products that can be refilled. For example, buy a 2 litre bottle of soda pop rather then individual cans, and use refillable washing powder containers.

Reusable Shopping Bags – Help make Scilly a carrier bag free zone by using your own reusable ScillyWaste bag which all households should now have. If you do not have a reusable bag yet please contact the AONB on 01720 423 486 who can arrange for one to be given to you.

Useful contacts for reusable bags include:

Rat Bags –

www.members.tripod.com/ratisland/ratbags.html; Tel – 01720 422 037

Rat Bags are a locally run business based on St Mary’s that use sail cut-offs to make a range of useful bags. Bags can be viewed online and ordered via the phone number above.

Other reusable bag providers:

Eco Bags – www.ecobags.co.uk; Tel – 0808 178 8822

Canby Bags –www.canby.co.uk; Tel – 020 8951 9325

People Tree – www.ptree.co.uk; Tel – 020 7739 0660

Biodegradable bags: If you would like to buy starch based biodegradable rubbish bags please visit www.biobags.co.uk or call 01467 651 247.

Recycle your glass – Glass is collected from various banks, crushed and then used as aggregate in building work on the islands, such as roads, pathways and decoration. This helps to reduce the amount of aggregate shipped in, reducing shipping costs and pollution. To help reduce the amount of glass waste on the outer islands, a glass crusher has been ordered for St Agnes and will be delivered in October. The crusher will take all bottles and jars on the island and reduce them to 5% of their original volume; the end product will be shard free and is suitable as an aggregate replacement for use in local road and path building, as well as for decorative purposes. A second glass crusher will be ordered in the future for Bryher.   

Composting – Reduce your waste by as much as 45% by putting organic matter from the garden and kitchen into a composter or Green Cone. A series of composter giveaway days have taken place on the islands where nearly 500 free composters and Green Cones have been given away to residents to help reduce the amount of organic waste going for disposal.

To get a ScillyWaste composter please call the AONB on 01720 423 486 to arrange delivery.

For more information on composting visit

Visit Recycle Now – http://www.recyclenow.com/home_composting/index.html; Tel – 0845 331 31 31 for information on home composting.

Real Nappies – Using modern washable nappies will save you money and help the environment by reducing waste. Real nappies are very easy to use and with many bright colours and designs to choose from you’ll have no need for disposables. For more information about nappies please contact the Cornish Real Nappy Project via www.crnp.org.uk; Tel – 0800 328 8175.  To trial one of the ScillyWaste Nappy Kits please contact Kerry Youngman on: 07767 353 426.

Junk Mail – The Mailing Preference Service supports your right to choose the mail you want, and is a free service enabling you to have your details removed from, or added to, mailing lists. For information visit www.mpsonline.org.uk or call 0845 703 4599 where you can also register to stop unwanted sales calls.

Charity – Giving good quality unwanted items to charity helps the economically disadvantaged and reduces the amount of waste you throw away. Textiles can be taken to the textile bank behind the Town Hall on St Mary’s, while good quality unwanted clothes and household items in good condition can be taken to the weekly charity shop in the church hall. There are also regular auctions in the Town Hall; call Mark Groves for more details on 01720 422732. 

Barbecues – Disposable barbecues cannot be recycled or composted. The bucket barbecue is an environmentally friendly alternative that can be used repeatedly and can be purchased from www.crocus.co.uk.

Contact us:

For more information on the Scilly Waste project please contact Martyn Thomas at ReZolve Kernow on 01208 265 936.

To view the ScillyWaste leaflet, click here: ScillyWaste Leaflet 

To view the Winter ScillyWaste Newsletter, click here: ScillyWaste Newsletter