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Recycler Winnie Winning the War on Waste

Posted on: Monday, 6 March 2006, 09:01 CST

By Gareth Rogers South Wales Echo

A mother who has been recycling since World War II has backed the Echo's campaign to go green for Cardiff.

On her 71st birthday, Winifred Goodman made her regular visit to the Lamby Way recycling centre with her bag of waste.

She said: 'Recycling now is very different to how it used to be. The emphasis used to be on re-using and making the most of everything we had, rather than recycling the materials.

'We would keep tins, jars or anything that could have another use. We were very resourceful.

'Any metal would be taken for arms and I can even remember adding candle wax to soap to make it go further.'

The mother of two, from Old St Mellons, Cardiff, is looking forward to receiving her new green bags and bins in June as part of the council's bid to recycle 40 per cent of the city's waste by 2010 - supported by the Echo's Go Green for Cardiff campaign.

She said: 'I don't understand anyone who wouldn't want to recycle or be part of a new rubbish collection.

'It is all about helping your fellow man and being fair to the earth. Also it's really satisfying.

'I do believe that if people have somewhere specific to put their recycling they will use it.'

After the war Winifred continued recycling as she ran a kitchen manufacturing company with her husband John.

She said: 'We had to recycle things as part of the business and our two sons John and Peter also got involved and learned about recycling.'

Winifred thinks that a generation of recyclers was lost in between her age group and the current crop of green-fingered youngsters.

She said: 'I did teach my two boys to recycle and they still do, but it seems that lots of people stopped caring after the war.

'But now it seems that a lot of youngsters are really keen on recycling and learn about it in school.' She does her recycling at Cardiff council's Lamby Way waste depot and is impressed by the site.

She said: 'We used to do our recycling in galvanised bins but we didn't have anything as grand as Lamby Way.

'It is good to see the council investing in recycling and waste.

'After a while of recycling it becomes a habit and not a chore. Everyone should give it a try.' Winnie's wartine recycling: Mix the ends of soap bars with candle wax to make them last longer.

Save tin cans, pans and any spare metal to be collected for the war effort.

Collect kitchen waste such as swede stalks, cabbage and potato peelings to give to farmers for pig feed.

Use fabric from old clothes to repair torn clothes.

Always reuse paper. Residents invited to air views on bins: A public meeting has been organised for people to air their concerns about wheelie bin collections in Cardiff.

The wheelie bin roll-out to Penylan was suspended last week after residents aired their concerns in the Echo.

Council officials offered them the opportunity to use a tri-bag system for rubbish, recycling and compost.

But some people there are still not happy because bags they left out were not collected.

Lecturer Andy Mardell, from Harrismith Road, Penylan, said: 'I don't feel the council has communicated very well with us.

'We left our bins in the back lane as we always have and they were not collected.

'Now it is a real mess.'

Edgar Wilson, from Stallcourt Avenue, Penylan, said: 'We were hoping our troubles were over but unfortunately not.

'Our bags were not collected from the back lanes this week and we have not received our new bags or a collection schedule yet.'

People in Rhiwbina are angry that parts of Penylan had their bin deliveries suspended whereas they have been forced to have theirs.

Paul Brown, of Tyn-y-Parc Road, Rhiwbina, said: 'There has been no communication from the council and the pavement outside our cottages resembles a wheelie bin graveyard.'

Rhiwbina councillors Jayne Cowan and Adrian Robson have called a public meeting on Tuesday, from 7.30pm to 9pm, at All Saints Church, Heol Y Felin, Rhiwbina.

Councillor Robson said: 'This situation is turning into a farce.

'I am firmly of a view that the council needs to suspend the wheelie bins scheme for residents in the Tyn-y-Parc Road cottages as they have in Penylan.'

Source: South Wales Echo

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