News bits: Recycling group hopes to see kerbside collection begin

Alan Gloak chaired the first meeting of Glastonbury’s new Recycling Action Group (RAG) on February 25 in the Town Hall. Those attending were keen for Glastonbury to be a pilot project for a kerbside collection scheme.

(Jim Nagel’s home town in Canada — Kitchener, Ontario — has done this for nearly 30 years.)

Somerset and Mendip have less than two years to meet government targets of recycling a far higher proportion of waste than now.

Disposable plates made of potato starch were shown to the RAG meeting. The maker, a startup firm in South Somerset, hopes to introduce them at this summer’s pop festival at Pilton. They look exactly like polystyrene but can be eaten by birds or fish.

Romulus and Remus

Following our collection of beech seedlings (newsletter 102), the need to repair the landmark cement statue of Romulus and Remus above Wells on the Bristol road has been identified. A plan is being made to involve principally the Italian community in this project. All interested should contact Ian Rands (85 0509). We now need to raise funds for a worthwhile Jubilee project.

New use for old library

The old library building in Northload Street has been leased to Turning Point, a drug-rehabilitation scheme. Builders and painters are at work installing partitions.

Blooming work begins

Glastonbury in Bloom starts work at the end of May with high hopes of regaining the trophy this year of the Golden Jubilee.