Recycling facilities in Brill

Alternatively, post a message on the Brill Village Facebook Chat. Somebody somewhere will want what you no longer need!

Empty tablet blister packs are accepted at branches of Superdrug with an in-house pharmacy. Most branches also collect empty make-up containers for recycling.

better housing better health

Would you, or another resident, like advice on lowering energy bills, switching provider/tariff or accessing financial assistance?

Better Housing Better Health is a service designed to help keep residents warm and well at home and improve the energy efficiency of their homes. The service is now offering support across central England ( including in Buckinghamshire) working through local councils to help tackle energy inefficiency in our homes though impartial advice and installation of low-cost, easy retrofit efficiency measures.

There’s more information on the BHBH website plus a link to request a visit from a local Energy Doctor - or you can call 0800 107 0044. You can refer yourself or someone else, whether you’re a professional caseworker or a relation, friend or advocate. Assessment visits are generally free if your household has an income of £30,000 or less (before tax), is in receipt of means-tested benefits such as Universal Credit and Council Tax Support, or a member of your household is disabled. Check the website or call the number to find out about other conditions.

Long Crendon renewed Ecoshop

Another one for the growing list of local services dedicated to helping us reduce pointless plastics (see below). Book a doorstep delivery, click & collect from a market (currently Princes Risborough or Oxford) or visit the shop in the Square, Long Crendon. Refills of dried goods (including herbs and spices), household cleaning products, cereals and confectionary - plus a range of reusable containers and eco-friendly gift-wrapping products.

Best of all, Renewed offers a collection point for recyclable items: all those biscuit and chocolate wrappers, crisp and cheese packets - and other bits ‘n’ bobs we can’t put in our household recycling. How about printing off the Ecoshop downloadable posters as family reminders?

The Countryside Charity

CPRE is The Countryside Charity “passionate about making the countryside a better place for everyone to live, work and enjoy”. The CPRE website is a delight! Browsing is like taking a long walk through fields and woods with a talkative and knowledgable companion. Three highlights from July’s newsletter:

• Stepping up for Green Spaces: people coming together to defend their local wild places

• Seven Stone Circles that aren’t Stonehenge! (Mitchell's Fold Stone Circle in Shropshire is on my list…)

• A countryside walk: butterflies and moths, birds and meadows

Try Just One Thing

Last year, members of Brill Climate Action Group wrote a monthly feature for the Bernwode News (the church benefice magazine), urging readers to Try Just One Thing to help meet the challenge of the climate crisis. These are ideas we can all implement; simple, affordable, and achievable. Here are some of the resources mentioned in the BCAG articles. Read the BCAG articles.

Living with(out) plastics

• Wholefoods Pantry in Thame, Waterperry Farm Shop, Good Club for online groceries

• Milk in glass bottles from Milk & More or Chris James 01442 822275

• Loose fruit and veg: Brill Stores (also pasta and rice), Bucksum Foods outside Long Crendon, Little Annie Acres near Brill on Saturday mornings, Thame Local Produce Market on second Tuesdays

• Refill containers of cleaning and laundry products: Aylesbury Eco Stores in the High Street, Planet Health and Organics in Greyhound Walk, Thame

• Plastic Free Communities and Plastic Free July

• Recycle Now and Bucks Council waste and recycling pages

• RHS’s 10 Tips for planet-friendly gardening

Slooow Fashion

• Secondhand: charity shops, vintage outlets, online re-sale shops including eBay, Market Place, Etsy, and Vinted

• Recycled: Nearly New Cashmere and Turtle Doves.

• Rental: Hurr Collective

• Clothes and textiles collection bins at Brill Fire Station and Brill School

Solar Together

Buying solar panels & storage made easy.

From Solar Together’s leaflet:

“Solar panels can earn you money, and are a great way to save money on your electricity bills, all whilst reducing your environmental impact.”

Why join Solar Together?

• clear information you can trust

• competitive rates

• complete, high-quality installation

• insurance-back warranties

To find out more about Solar Together in Buckinghamshire go to the Solar Together website.