Trash to Treasure exhibition on tour

The Great Waste is now offering a mini-version of the Trash to Treasure exhibition that brought in 4,000 visitors to Winchester Discovery Centre earlier this year.

The exhibition features vibrant panels of information and images of items made from waste from around the world and a selection of actual objects made by resourceful recyclers.

Chris Holloway, co-director at Winchester Action on Climate Change, said: “I love seeing what people make from materials that other people throw away. My favourite item is the giant red papier-mache pig from India. The pen made from a shell-case from Sarajevo is so hopeful. Perhaps the loveliest is jewellery made from drink-can ring-pulls, but they are all worth seeing.”

The Trash to Treasure mini-exhibition will be at the Warren Hall in Micheldever Station from 30 November, then after Christmas it will be at Romsey Abbey.

Anyone who would like to borrow the exhibition, for example to show at a school or a parish hall, can contact jeremy.carter@winacc.org.uk or call WinACC on 01962 827083. It is free to borrow, provided it is on display for at least one week. It is ideal for the annual parish meeting or an annual general meeting or even for a school project.

Hampshire households produce 770,000 tonnes of waste each year – an average of 660kg or two-thirds of an English ton – for each household. Materials that are commonly wasted can often be used again, and many people in the UK and abroad are using them to make wonderful new objects.

The original Trash to Treasure exhibition was displayed in Winchester Discovery Centre during March and April this year to launch of The Great Waste initiative. This is a joint venture with Winchester City Council and Winchester Action on Climate Change, aiming to help people reduce waste and increase recycling through promoting events and activities to get everyone involved. The Great Waste website features lots of tips and advice on how to reduce waste and make treasures from trash: www.thegreatwaste.org.uk