Share, Repair, Reduce, Reuse

Intro

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Whether we like it or not, we live in a consumerist world. Walk into any shop and you will see aisles of products packaged in single use plastics, as well as many disposable or ‘short-life’ goods. We are constantly being encouraged to buy more than we really need. Our homes are filled with many items that end their days in land-fill (here or abroad), incinerators or in our rivers and oceans

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Here in the South Hams there are a number of projects run through our community groups and companies whose volunteers clean up some of this waste, run re-use and recycling projects and also encourage residents and visitors to consider alternatives when purchasing products.

Hopefully some of the projects on this website may provide ideas and inspiration. Many established groups will be more than happy to talk with you about setting up your own project and may be able to share resources to make it easier. Why write a Risk Assessment from scratch when you can probably modify one that is already written?

If you have a project that fits into this category but isn’t listed here please ‘add a project’ so that we can share the good work you are doing.

Get in touch with Ben Bryant, our Saving Earth Resources Mentor, for any further information or advice on ben@sussh.org

News

Kingsbridge Men's Shed offer practical skills for community projects

Kingsbridge Men's Shed are welcoming people to join them in offering practical skills for the local community.

September 1, 2025

Notes from Hillside - DEFRA helping farmers with climate adaption by offering support for agroforestry

The new agroforestry grants from DEFRA, offered via the Countryside Stewardship (CS) process, should add more trees to existing UK farming systems and help add resilience as the climate warms.

August 26, 2025

SusSH hosts a tour of local compost sites

Community composting enthusiasts from across 6 South Hams projects joined us for a sunny evening tour of compost sites, along with compost portfolio holder Cllr Jacqi Hodgson.

July 21, 2025

Events

South Hams Rally for Nature - Community Session

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TWO DAY Community Composting Gathering & Masterclass

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Positive Tipping Points for Climate and Nature Action

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Resources

A Guide to Repurposing Brown Bins

In 2023, many brown wheelie bins in South Hams became redundant due to the garden waste collection by South Hams District Council (SHDC) becoming chargeable. We have worked with SHDC to explore the potential for repurposing, upcycling, and reusing the bins to save resources.

Community Composting in the South Hams

If you've been thinking of starting a community composting project in your area, this online guide is a great overview of everything you need to know to get started. From planning the project to sourcing volunteers and becoming a community business, this guide is a fantastic resource filled with exemplar projects and resources to get you off on the right foot.

Compost Workshop Materials

Compost Workshop information for Ben Bryant's workshops

Groups

Greener Ugborough Parish (G-UP)

The Wildlife and Biodiversity working group focuses on the native wildlife of the Parish, through both habitat management and biodiversity monitoring. The Transport & Mobility working group supports the reduction of local reliance on cars and encourages Active Travel. The Waste Reduction and Recycling group has produced recycling guidelines for the Parish.

5-20

Informal Network

Sustainable Kingswear

Focusing on immediate and longer term infrastructure changes, including encouraging electric vehicle use, a community energy scheme, and addressing light pollution. Also working on community schemes, such as encouraging households and landowners to support wildlife, community composting and a Library of Things.

5-20

Parish Council working group