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If you missed the show and would like a 15 minute update on sustainability and the environment in and around St.Albans, listen to or download this week’s podcast now

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We revisited the idea buying pre-loved furniture rather than new. Rob got in touch on environmentonrv@gmail.com and pointed out that there is also an Emmaus furniture store in Harpenden. He also suggested the Recycling Centre for Harpenden (which is in Southdown, adjacent to Grove School) has linked to it a Sue Ryder outlet – and there are loads of chairs and many other things there. If you have reuseable furniture and other stuff you can drop it off en route to getting rid of recyclable stuff. Rob says  he  knows the St Albans Recycling Centre has a walk-in container for ‘good stuff’ but it is not very large or visible.  The Southdown site has a lot more space and is pleasant and clean enough to be a substitute for going to IKEA.

I spoke to Chris Pearce, a local man who, with the help of the Recover charity in Welwyn Garden City, has used gaining upcycling and renovation skills to help his recovery from addiction problems. So if you need some furniture and would rather give your money to a young chap find his feet and get his business off the ground rather than a faceless multinational, then take a look at Chris’s Facebook page – Unique Furniture in the UK.

This is Bees Needs Week, a week of action for our pollinators initiated by the government department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, DEFRA. I spoke to Sabiha Rumani Malik, founder and president of the World Bee Project to find out more. Sabiha explained that Defra recognise the importance of bees and the urgency of their plight, and want all of us – individuals, farmers, gardeners, landowners – to take action now.

We’re asked to

• plant flowering plants, shrubs and trees
• leave areas wild
• leave areas undisturbed as hibernation sites
• mow our lawns less frequently
• avoid using pesticides

Find out more here.

Sabiha also suggested we follow #beesneeds on Twitter to be part of a growing group of people who want things to be better not just for our pollinators but for ourselves too. She explained that the World Bee Project recognises bees as a connection between biodiversity, poverty, and health and tackles all these problems with bees.

Perhaps you might find some bee friendly tips at the next Transition St.Albans Open Garden this  Sun 17th July: 27, Glenferrie Road, Fleetville, St Albans, AL1 4JT –Drop in any time between 3-5pm. This is a medium sized garden with interesting shrubs and plenty fruit and veg – including a pomegranate tree! Is that the only one in St.Albans? Tweet us @rv_environmentmatters if you’ve got a pomegranate tree too. I wonder if it has any fruit? Get along to 27 Glenferrie Road on Sunday to find out.

Finally, Remember that if you are in one of the areas where the new recycling regime for St.Albans has been rolled out then there are 4 key changes that you need to remember

• Do not put landfill rubbish into your black bin.Plastics, cans and glass can now be mixed together and put in the black wheeled bin. Paper and card stays in the box.
• Non- recyclable landfill waste goes into your a new, slimmer brown wheeled bin.
• Don’t put food waste into your green bin anymore, instead put it into your new food caddy and it will be emptied every week.
• And if you have any batteries and small electrical items pop them in carrier bags next to your other containers and they’ll be collected weekly too.

Go to our blog and listen to last months’ show labelled New Waste and Recycling Regime for St.Albans where Louise Palmer the Waste and Recycling Officer for SADC explains everything.

We always love to hear from you :

• Tweet us  @RV_environment
• Email us at environmentonrv@gmail.com