Our story
Ruthin Friends of the Earth started as a group of four of us who came together to mitigate against climate change and create 'Plastic Free Ruthin', with the goal of creating a plastic-free community locally. Since then, our small group has grown considerably to hundreds of local followers, many of whom are actively involved in several eco initiatives locally, attending monthly meetings, Repair Café events and supporting awareness and planting days throughout the year.
Our group continually works towards plastic-free community status. With our plastic free campaigns and assistance from the wider network of Friends of the Earth, we have been able to encourage local businesses and schools to use less single-use plastics.
We run the local Terracycle scheme which covers around half the county. On average, we collect 10 kilos of hard-to-recycle waste per month which we send to Terracycle who pay for the waste. This payment funds most of our Ruthin Friends of the Earth activities.
Our collaborative projects have included a 'bws benthig' with ReSource CIC, which enables members of the community to borrow useful items they don't own, and where they can donate things that they no longer need for others to borrow. This also acts as a community hub for people to share knowledge and skills, and we also enjoy many activities together, such as litter picking and tree planting.
We are proud to support the Incredible Edible network – which connects communities through the power of food. At the Incredible Edible Ruthin allotment, members also support regular plant and seed swaps. We also promote Refill Ruthin, part of the Welsh National Refill Cymru. Any shop showing the refill sticker welcomes people to refill their reusable bottles with water.
Our advice
Ruthin Friends of the Earth encourages people to get involved in a variety of ways and we try to make the group as social and welcoming as possible so that more people will want to get involved. We have one rule - which is that people shouldn't come to us expecting us to fix things for them – if they are passionate about something and want something done, we will support them, but those who are passionate enough must also help to move these projects forward. We are strong through the energies and efforts made by the volunteers and wider community.
As a volunteer-led group, it can sometimes be tough, but we work with fantastic people who share a common passion and goal. We divide jobs and responsibilities between us and that's how we get things done and how we manage to run with relatively limited resources. There are also helpful organisations that support our work or provide a framework for our activity – for example Repair Café Wales and Incredible Edible.
Our Changeprint
Our Changeprint can be measured by the enjoyment hundreds of local people get out of being involved in our activities; by changing people's collective purchasing and consumption habits (as individuals, schools, community groups and local businesses) to become a plastic-free community; by the amount of local food grown; and by our contribution to a growing local circular economy.
