Recycling Policy

As a charity Lisa Kent Trust prides itself on its extensive recycling programme, which has and continues to save tonnes of items going into landfill.

Lisa Kent Trust are able to reuse/repurpose tonnes of items each year by sending containers to The Gambia. The regular shipments enable Lisa Kent Trust to update our school classroom furniture to ensure it always meets the Trust’s high standards.

As a third world country The Gambia relies heavily on donations from overseas, particularly to equip schools.

We share lots of these shipped resources with local schools, medical centres and sports teams benefiting many communities in The Gambia.

The charity also collects redundant office furniture, such as filing & storage cabinets, which are filled with donated resources before shipping.  The cabinets are then used once they arrive in The Gambia.  Clothing is also collected, which is great for use as packing in the container, and is always in great need by the local communities.

Historically we have collected bottle tops and shipped to be used as an educational aids in the classrooms.  These are a fantastic resource to use for colour works, counting, set work etc.  As of January 2023 the UK has just started producing recyclable milk tops, whereas previously most councils were placing them into landfill, tonnes and tonnes every year.

Ink cartridges are another item the Trust collects.  This time we are able to send them to a recycling company who donate a few pence for each cartridge.  Although this only amounts to a small amount each year, we are very grateful for the funds and ensuring the cartridges are reused.

Lisa Kent Trust have been working with Scrubs for Cambridgeshire, which during lockdown provided scrubs for the NHS.  Now they are no longer required the Team generously give up their time and support local charities.  Lisa Kent Trust is fortunate to be one of their projects and clothing eg children’s dresses, shorts and shirts are made from old pillowcases.  The children are thrilled to receive a new outfit, which many never have.  These are known in the area as Lisa Kent Trust dresses.

The Gambia as a country is extremely good at recycling with plastic bottles being used over and over again, orange peel used as fire lighters and chicken skin as soap.  Even plastic chairs are sewn together to ensure they have a longer lifespan..

Lisa Kent Trust likes to work towards a carbon neutral policy by:

Staff in the Gambia cycle or walk to school

The school uses solar to power our water supply from our borehole.

LKT buy all school products locally

Repurposing school furniture

Uses local tradespeople

Plant trees to provide carbon offset for the container shipments, these then produces fruit which is used by the local community

School garden, part of the Gambian Curriculum, with the produce being used by the local communities.

Education of our pupils & team with regard to the issues of deforestation & the need to change cooking habits (most still cook by wood or charcoal)

We are very grateful to all the donors.  The downside in trying to achieve our carbon neutral policy is the amount of work involved in collecting the furniture, storing it until we have the funds to send a container.  Container costs are hugely expensive and we rely on donations and fundraising to make this work.

We welcome any support in the development of this policy and continue working towards a sustainable zero carbon footprint.