 
Join us for a community clothes swap event on Wednesday 30 August in Wanstead Library and renew your wardrobe for FREE. This exciting pop-up event is organised by Recycle for Your Community with the support of the East London Waste Authority (ELWA).
Research by ReLondon discovered that on average 44 items of clothing per person are thrown away every year in London alone. Swapping is a great way to refresh your wardrobe in an environmentally friendly way, as well as save money and waste.
Full details of the event:
Wednesday 30 August, 5:30pm – 7:00pm
Wanstead Library (Hall), Spratt Hall Rd, E11 2RQ
Donations are being accepted in the designated donation bin located in the library from Monday 21 August or just bring them along on the day. Accepted donations: gently used, clean clothing, accessories and bags. Not accepted items: shoes, underwear, socks and tights. No booking necessary for the event.
Entry includes free refreshments and up to 5 ‘new to you‘ items, plus, join Kemi from Sew London CIC to learn some handy clothing upcycling tips and extend the life of clothes that little bit longer.
If you are interested in volunteering at the event, please let our partners know. For more information check out the ELWA website.
 A big thank you to Linda from ‘Friends of Loxford’ for sharing the genius ways their community group are upcycling used volleyballs from Loxford Park, unused barbeques and coconut shells to plant more greenery for their flourishing garden. Anyone interested in joining in can contact the team on friendsofloxford@gmail.com. Please visit Redbridge - Our Streets to find out more ways you can come together as a community to spruce up Redbridge.
 We are delighted to share the story of one of Redbridge's youngest litter picking heroes this month! Tiago, who is three and a half years old, has been litter picking in South Woodford throughout the summer alongside his mum, Elisa. Elisa got in touch with the Our Streets team in March this year to borrow litter picking equipment from us for free and has been making fantastic use of this over the last few months.
Speaking about their experience, Elisa said: "I became aware of the opportunity to use litter pickers provided by the Redbridge Council through one of the newsletters. Recognising its potential, I perceived it as a worthwhile activity to engage in alongside my son during the weekends. Over the course of the spring and summer seasons, I borrowed the litter pickers for a number of weeks. Most Saturday or Sunday mornings, we dedicated an hour to cleaning the streets surrounding our home.
Both Tiago and I found this activity to be quite gratifying. Through our involvement, Tiago acquired a substantial amount of knowledge about litter, recycling practices, and responsible disposal. Moreover, our efforts garnered appreciation from the community members who saw us contributing to the tidiness of the streets."
Elisa was shocked by the amount of litter in the area and how quickly their bin bags filled up, especially with staggering amounts of single use plastic. We're so grateful to Elisa and Tiago for their efforts in making Redbridge a cleaner place to work and live! If you are as inspired by Elisa and Tiago as we are, apply to borrow litter picking equipment from us for free.
  The We Care for Our Air project aims to improve air quality in Redbridge by working closely with the local community to raise awareness of the effects of air pollution where we live .
Do you think that air quality is good where you live? Tell us what you think and you could win a bike for your child, a scooter or a £50 shopping voucher by completing the We Care for Our Air survey.
Other ways to get involved:
1. Take part in a large-scale air quality monitoring project: help measuring what’s in the air near you.
2. Book a free cycle skills training.
3. Join free fun and social guided bike rides across the borough. Families, groups are welcome. Dates and locations:
Hop online on Thursday 6 September at 7pm to a We Care for Our Air online workshop to find out more about how you can get involved (please book in advance) or email air@mappingforchange.org.uk
 Did you know that in the UK, we use and throw away up to a billion batteries every year? That's a lot of batteries! Batteries that are disposed of incorrectly are a major cause of fires in waste collection vehicles and at waste treatment facilities. We can all do our bit to prevent these dangerous fires by following some simple steps:
- Never put batteries in normal rubbish or recycling bins
- Only recycle batteries using a proper battery recycling service - you will find battery drop off points at many places such as supermarkets, libraries, recycling centres and more
- Remove batteries from broken devices if you can and recycle both the battery and device separately
- If you can't remove the battery from a device, recycle both together using a small waste electrical recycling service
- Find out more at Take Charge
Disposable vapes, which all contain their own battery, are quickly turning out to be a huge contributor to waste fires. These single use products are also extremely difficult to dispose of and are a regular source of litter in our borough. It is estimated that around 1.3 million disposable vapes are thrown away every week in the UK – two every second! If you are using them to quit smoking, make sure you dispose of them correctly, or think about a reusable alternative. In Redbridge you can take your disposable vapes to Chigwell Road Recycling Centre to be safely recycled.
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A few days ago Transition Town Ilford organised a pre-loved school uniform sale in partnership with the Exchange Ilford to promote sustainability and help parents with the cost of living.
Recycle for Your Community have been supporting schools with setting up and running their very own pre-loved school uniform shop or stall and providing textile workshops where possible. Six schools have signed up in Redbridge so far.
By joining the project, schools receive a free labelled donation bin, the perfect contact-free way of collecting school uniforms still in good condition. In addition to receiving the bin, schools will have access to editable online resources and will be able to find out their cost and environmental savings by completing a simple form each time the School Uniform shop or stall takes place.
The project has funding support from the East London Waste Authority and more information can be found on their website.
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 During August the Our Streets team had an amazing time educating and entertaining over 500 residents over 3 weeks, in 3 of our parks at our Go Green Kids Roadshow events. From card making and seed planting to reusable nappy demonstrations - there was something for everyone. Local people particularly enjoyed ‘Mrs Litter’s’ naughty behaviour and helped her learn the error of her littering ways! It was great to see everyone coming together as a community to celebrate a greener Redbridge.
Follow us on Our Streets Redbridge | Ilford | Facebook to find out the lucky resident winning the home composter in our Go Green prize draw and when our next events will take place.
Wah Bey Restaurant on Cranbrook Road, which was reported for dumping its waste near local homes, has been successfully prosecuted by Redbridge Council for fly-tipping and breaking a legal order regarding waste storage. Find out more by visiting our website.
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