Sustainable Waste Disposal in Leeds – what’s been your experience?
Here at Open Source Arts we know all too well the impacts of climate change! Located on the banks of the River Aire back in 2015 we were impacted by the devastating flooding which struck Kirkstall on Boxing Day as our resource centre was flooded and very recently on the week of February 21st we received a flood warning after the onslaught of storms Eunice and Franklin in quick succession.
We are already seeing an increase in the frequency of flood warnings and flooding events. This is only going to become worse and our venue will become more and more vulnerable as our climate changes. We have been working over the years to make Open Source Arts as socially and environmentally responsible as possible, but we’ve decided to take our efforts to become sustainable up a level.
Our current area of focus is waste. We like to be open and transparent so in honesty we’ve been having some issues with our current waste disposal as our ability to recycle is currently limited. We are excited to work on this and push towards an internal system that enables us to recycle as much of our waste as possible.
However, we’ve found that finding alternatives that will allow us to recycle more effectively, support locally and be sure our waste is being disposed of responsibly is not easy! So, we thought it’d be useful to share some of our experiences and help other venues and businesses who are looking to make similar changes.
Initially we went down the route of supporting local – a tried and true way of supporting the wellbeing of our communities and local economy – but despite much research there was little evidence of any local waste collection businesses that were still up and running, or that weren’t part of a larger business.
We’ve also found it difficult to find information beyond common claims of ‘0% waste to landfill’, ‘eco friendly’ and ‘carbon neutral’. It is great to see these terms are becoming commonplace but we need to see them substantiated with evidence, certification and true transparency of where waste is sent. This will help organisations, such as ourselves, ensure they are not complicit in the global waste trade which often results in landfill waste being dumped in lower income nations.
For smaller businesses that cannot employ sustainability consultants or pay dedicated sustainability teams how can they ensure the choices they make are genuine?
We would love to hear from other businesses that have tried to become more environmentally friendly, sustainable and climate conscious. What have your experiences been? What difficult decisions did you have to make? What companies or options have you gone with?
We are also looking to ask – what advice is there out there for small organisations like us? How do we begin to navigate this space?
Contact Us
Open Source Arts
Unit 1a Aire Place Mills
143 Kirkstall Road
LS3 1JL
01132 468 975
