Waste and recycling 'Family Fun Day' - Saturday 12 October

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02 October 2024

Members of the South Tyne and Wear Waste Management Partnership, which includes Gateshead Council, Sunderland City Council, and South Tyneside Council, are inviting local residents to join them in celebrating 10 years of sustainable waste management across South Tyne and Wear, with a dedicated Family Fun Day.

The event, which is taking place on Saturday 12 October, 10am to 2pm at the Waste and Recycling Education Centre, located at the Campground Household Waste and Recycling Centre in Wrekenton, Gateshead, promises to be a great day out for all ages, with a host of fun and educational activities on offer, including:

• Make recycled newspaper seed pots
• Take part in home composting workshops
• Meeting Birds of Prey
• Looking around and finding out how a bin lorry works
• Refresh your wardrobe sustainably at our Clothing Swap Shop
• Interactive art and craft activities to get involved with
• Plus, we'll also be accepting food donations to support local foodbanks.

Colin Swinney, Service Director for Highways and Waste at Gateshead Council, said:

"The progress we've made of the past decade in relation to our waste management is nothing short of remarkable. The Waste Management Partnership, along with specialist support from Suez Recycling and Recovery UK, empty the bins from over 285,000 homes every week, and each year collect over 190,000 tonnes of waste. Much of this is processed at an 'Energy from Waste' facility, where is dried and burned to produce steam, which drive turbines to produce enough electricity to power over 60,000 homes for a year. Combined with improved rates of recycling, over the past decade this joint working has successfully reduced the amount of waste being sent to landfill from 60 percent to 0.5 percent.

"We have a lot to thank local residents for in achieving this reduction, and this event is our way of saying thank you. We've a variety of activities planned, and it's a great chance for local families to drop by, take part of any of the fun activities on offer, but also to learn about the importance of recycling right."

Entry to the event is completely free, but we are asking residents to register their attendance in advance where possible.

Register for Family Fun Day

How to find us

The Waste and Recycling Visitor Education Centre is located on the site of Campground Waste and Recycling Centre, Springwell Road, Wrekenton, Gateshead NE9 7XW.

The site is not accessible on foot or by public transport. Parking is available on-site. We encourage car sharing if possible.

When you arrive, you need to turn right at the roundabout towards the site's offices and report at the weighbridge. Please note there are traffic lights.

Next drive through the barrier and turn right at the roundabout. You will see the car park straight ahead. Please reverse park into a parking space.