Pallet Workshop

I was lucky enough to go to the latest workshop by Greener Kirkcaldy and learn how to upcycle an old wooden pallet which would have otherwise been set for landfill. Pallets are really versatile, you only need to google pallet project and you will not believe the amount of things you can make! The class was taken by the well experienced Johno from 4eyedimensions  who showed a group of 5 of us how to make-over the pallet from start to finish.

At the start we got a safety chat and introduced to all the tools we’d be getting familiar with throughout the day. Then, because it was (mostly) a nice day we got to work in the lovely Greener Kirkcaldy garden. A few rain delays but definitely better to be outside once you start breaking a sweat.

The first step was taking the original pallet apart  with a crowbar, hammer and some brute force. I don’t know about anyone else but I definitely felt like I’d done a workout after this! We each got a pallet and once Johno showed us the technique we were let loose to demolish our own and try not to split the wood in the process.

After this we hammered and pulled all the nails out to leave us with some fresh wood to work with.

Johno was really helpful with all the tricky bits, or in my case all the bits I was too weak to finish myself.

A well deserved lunch break was welcomed when the typical Scottish weather decided to turn on us. Some delicious soup and bread provided by our own Greener Kirkcaldy masterchef and a nice chance to relax and recharge for the rest of the afternoon. Homemade biscuits also went down a treat!

Once we had all the wood separated and had discussed what we wanted to make, Johno helped plan out the measurements and design. Then the sawing started…another workout!

The planter was very popular and most people in the group decided to go for this however I thought a shoe rack would be much more welcome in my house full of dirty dog walking shoes and wellies. Johno came up with a design off the top of his head and before I knew it, it started materialising before my eyes.

This was my first time ever using a drill and after a few dodgy misses I got the hang of it and was really enjoying piecing it all together. A few battery issues with the drills but Johno was a hero and sourced us some replacements really quickly.

Another group member Martin made a planter with his partner and they even got part of the way there to making a second one which they’ll now be able to finish off at home.

My welly/shoe rack has pride of place in the kitchen, should save my floor from being so muddy all the time and save this pallet from a lifetime in landfill.

I highly recommend this workshop to anyone wanting to give this a try. A few top tips – have a google and see what you want to make before you go…be realistic as you’ve only got a day and it’s hard work! Wear old clothes, lots of sawdust around. Be prepared to sweat a bit and just have a laugh as well!

Millions of pallets go to waste every year. If you see any that are going to landfill it’s always worth asking if you can have them and even if you don’t have a use, someone will! A nice new lease of life for the tree that made them.

Businesses Battling Plastics

There’s a global crisis happening just now. It may not feel like it when you visit the coffee shop every morning, or you might be enjoying a few beers at a music festival and not think twice. But using plastic containers is causing damage to the environment.

We all know our responsibility using plastics at home. But some businesses make it difficult to be green.

Nightclubs and festivals use tonnes of single-use plastics, but don’t recycle them. As Simon Doherty points out in DJMag, if you hold a party in a small club that holds 500 people and each person uses an average of 2 cups (probably more), that’s 1,000 pieces of plastic waste. Holding an event just once a week would result in 52,000 pieces of plastic waste a year.

And that’s just one club. 23,500 tonnes of waste are produced by UK festivals every year, and 10 million plastic bottles are consumed. Add all the waste produced by cafes, offices, and shops and you’ll have a splitting headache.

Higher demand means higher production. Half the plastic on Earth has been made since 2005, and production is expected to double in 20 years.  When disposed of improperly, this gets into the ocean, causing serious damage and harm. It’s estimated that 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the sea every year. Seabirds, turtles and other sealife can mistake this for food, pumping plastic into their stomachs and killing them. The small fragments (microplastics) found from domestic and cleaning products find their way into the oceans and into our food and water, so there’s no denying the health risk caused by plastics.

How business resolve the crisis

It’s up to corporations and small businesses to tackle this issue head-on as it only seems to be getting worse. Luckily some positive steps have been taken.

The Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona ran an inspiring campaign this year to reduce plastics. They partnered with the UN SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Action Plan, and as part of their goal, they substituted plastic cups with reusable polypropylene ones. Glastonbury also banned single use plastic bottles this year.

Morrisons and Sainsbury’s have banned plastic packaging from its fruits and vegetables. Meanwhile, Tesco plans to have all packaging fully recyclable by 2025, and Asda are removing single use plastic bags from online shopping. Many corporations have also signed up to the KeepCup scheme which offers employees reusable cups to take with them when they visit the work canteen.

Plastic Free Towns

There is definitely an awareness among big businesses, but what about small businesses, particularly in Fife? Plastic Free Dunfermline is a community group that aims to make Dunfermline plastic free by approaching businesses like cafes and office-based companies by becoming ‘plastic free champions’. To achieve this accolade, businesses need to eliminate single use plastics.

James Daw ,who set up in the group in 2018, says approaching businesses has been an “organic” process, either through their Facebook page or website. They also recruit businesses to become Refill Stations, which makes it easy for the public to find stations to refill water bottles.

However, spreading the message to companies and the public can sometimes be challenging. Convenience is generally a priority to the public, according to Daw: ” When the public rethink this and priortise the environment ahead of their own lives, things will change. When the public demand that businesses will have to adapt or die. At the moment, some business are reluctant to lead this change in the fear that it drives customers away.”

Daw also states that part of the problem is that we are led to believe disposing of plastics in our recycling bins is saving the planet:  “Most plastic that does get processed [is] not recycled at all – recycle means turned back into the same product over and over again. On the whole it is down-cycled (turned into something of less value) before landing up in refill.”

A plastic free Kirkcaldy?

Overall, it is an attitude and knowledge problem which needs to be addressed – is the message reaching Kirkcaldy businesses? There doesn’t appear to be a Kirkcaldy-based campaign running at the moment, according to Bill Harvey, Manager of Kirkcaldy4All. He says “It is something  that we would be interested in finding out more about”.

With high profile figures like David Attenborough raising awareness of the issue,  there’s a sea-change (no pun intended) in people’s perception of plastic use. But every home, business and corporation needs to act at the same time.

“Many small acts make a phenomenal difference” is the tagline on the KeepCup site – it may seem like a throwaway platitude, but it’s one that needs to be used again and again.

Useful links

Green Business Fife

Plastic Free St. Andrews

Plastic Free Anstruther

Surfers Against Sewage

Community Toolkit of becoming a Plastic Free Champion

We’re recruiting for a Development Worker (maternity cover)

Development Worker (maternity cover)  – 37.5 hours per week on a flexible basis to include Saturdays and some evenings (we will consider part-time hours); fixed term to 05 October 2020 with the possibility of extension; salary in the range of £23,480 to £24,480 pro rata + 6% contribution to pension scheme.

Greener Kirkcaldy is a community-led charity, working on a local scale to benefit people and our environment. We are concerned about climate change, social justice and community development.  We would like to see a future where everyone is able to heat their home affordably, eat well, and tread more lightly on our planet.

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced community development worker (maternity cover) to join Greener Kirkcaldy’s Community Engagement Team. We are currently delivering two Climate Challenge Fund projects ‘Gear Change to Tackle Climate Change’ and ‘Zero Waste Kirkcaldy’. We also deliver other projects (subject to funding) to meet the needs and aspirations of local people: tackling fuel and food poverty, protecting and enjoying the environment, and bringing the community together. You will be responsible for developing and facilitating programmes of events and activities, recruiting, training and supporting volunteers, developing marketing and social media campaigns, and working with local partners.

You will have experience of, and a passion for, engaging communities in climate change, and/ or sustainable transport, reducing waste, sustainable food and food skills, and ‘going greener together’. You will be motivated, have excellent organisational skills and the flexibility to work with a range of people, work well in a team and use your own initiative, and be willing to adapt to the needs of the project. Experience of planning and delivering practical carbon reduction activities, and communicating the impact of climate change would be a particular advantage for this post.

Download the full job description and application form here:

Development-Worker-job-description-maternity cover 2019 (PDF)

Development Worker maternity cover person specification 2019 (PDF)

Greener-Kirkcaldy-Job-Application-Form-2016 (Word Doc)

Applications must be submitted using the application form – we will not accept CVs.

Application forms should be submitted to jobs@greenerkirkcaldy.org.uk strictly by 5pm on Monday 19 August. Late applications will not be accepted. Interviews will be held on Thursday 29 August. For any informal enquiries about this post, please contact Geraldine O’Riordan geraldine@greenerkirkcaldy.org.uk or call 01592 858458.