Residents of Chardstock Talk Rubbish!

None of East Devon's non-recyclable rubbish goes to landfill. Slightly damp cardboard in your recycling box is better than bone dry. And use your food waste caddies. 

These are just a few of the tips picked up by residents of Chardstock when Gareth Bourton, the EDDC waste and recycling manager, joined the recent 'Talking Rubbish' coffee morning to talk a good deal of sense about what can be done to avoid things going to waste.

The Talking Rubbish coffee morning was an innovative approach - organised by Chardstock Eco Group which is a community ally of Plastic-Free, Axminster - to get ordinary folk chatting about waste, plastic and rubbish.

Visitors queued up to see how to make bees wax food wraps so they can ditch the cling film, while a mini-Repair Café was a hive of activity all morning doing thriving business in sharpening garden tools and mending household items. 

Environmental group Turn Lyme Green powered up a sewing machine and showed off the Boomerang Bags they make and handout in Lyme Regis to shoppers who have forgotten to bring their own. 

At the next stall plastic free, Axminster showcased how to swop chemical household cleaners for home-made, more environmental sprays and polishes.  

The team from Chardstock Eco Group ran a 'give-and-take' clothes rail with visitors taking home a new outfit for free, while the Chardstock Womblers showed people the weird things they have collected when out on their monthly litter picks across the parish's lanes, including the 20 empty gin bottles found in the last month – without a tonic in sight!

Soft Plastic Sophie – a scarecrow made from plastic – reminded people that it is now possible to recycle soft plastics at many supermarkets.

Chardstock Eco Group member Vicky Whitworth was delighted at the turnout.

She said: "This morning has been something a bit different. People are starting to realise you can't simply throw things away. There is no such place as 'away'. 

"We have to take responsibility for our waste. That's why we wanted to share as many ideas and tips as we can. We've been giving away seeds, and a resident made and gave us a huge pile of fabric food bags to give away so that there's no need to take a plastic bag to put your veggies in when you go shopping."

Helen Arnold from Holly Farm in Alston runs a market garden with her husband Martin selling 'naked vegetables'. Their stall, ladened with fresh vegetables produced without using pesticides, looked a peach with no plastic wrappers in sight.

Fiona Anderson had come up from the other side of Axminster, and was wearing a banner saying No to Fossil Fuels over her shoulders.

"I have been so impressed seeing the variety of stalls here today from St Andrew's School talking about the eco things the kids do to a huge range of plastic-free gardening tips," she said.

"It was great to see Natural Worx - my local zero waste store - explaining that it is so easy to use the refill service and often cheaper than using a supermarket."