OXFORDSHIRE COMMUNITY WASTE ACTION GROUPS

摘要

Recycling levels in Oxfordshire are being improved by local groups who organise their own waste collections, as Edwin Colyer reports. It is a cold, misty Saturday morning in December - the kind of weather when the residents of Charlbury like to curl up on the sofa in front of their fires. But today many are braving the damp; they pull on their jackets, fetch the loaded wheelbarrow, and push their grass clippings and hedge trimmings across the small town to the collection point in the car park. Once a month the Charlbury Area Waste Action Group (CAWAG) holds an event like this. Today they have organised the collection of green waste, but it could equally have been cardboard, plastic bottles or old paint and tools. It might not be everybody's idea of fun, but the volunteers who run CAWAG and organise its events and activities are deeply committed to their work. "People feel really strongly about waste issues," says Anne Miller, the group's Chair. "They would like to see less going to landfill and are horrified by the amount of waste society generates. These people are happy to spend a few hours a month on something they believe will make a difference."