I have often thought it would be great if we could recycle tools and I heard a great story today which is all in the name of tool recycling.
So what to do with tools that are broken but too good to throw away?
Tools Shed, the Conservation Foundation's garden tool recycling project launched at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. They collected all those spades, forks, trowels, shears and hoes that lie at the back of the shed waiting to be fixed on a rainy day.
Photo: Tool Recycling in Action
Tool Recycling
The tools will be repaired in the workshops of HMP Wandsworth, contributing to prisoners' training and rehabilitation and given to London schools for their gardens. We spoke to the Conservation Foundation about tool recycling:
"Schools tell us how difficult it is to get the equipment they need for their gardens and a recycling project which would help equip the next generation of gardeners, reduce waste and provide practical skills for prisoners, seemed the ideal solution. We're delighted to be working with the Royal Horticultural Society at Hampton Court and hope it will be possible to take Tools Shed to other RHS venues in the future."
The Tools Shed scheme, which is being piloted in London with a view to extending its tool recycling to other prisons and schools across the country, has been greeted with great enthusiasm by schools. Southwark's Alma Primary says:
"Very few families in our area own a garden and our children have no experience of growing plants and recycling. Tools Shed would give us some much needed equipment to give them the opportunity to make their own gardens in our school grounds."
Tools Shed also receives tools from Enterprise, the Royal Parks contractor and via the recycling depots at Smugglers' Way in Wandsworth and Vale Street in Lambeth. Plans are underway to extend the programme to garden centres and other landscape contractors.
For further information about tool recyling visit www.conservationfoundation.co.uk