As Anna has moved the University of Glasgow, and Hannah will shortly be following suit, Waste Stories has moved. You can visit our new site at https://wastestories.org.uk/.
Author: Anna Wilson
Sic transit gloria
I know I will get accused of being a spoilsport, but: can we please ban foiletti – and their cousins, metallic party balloons? Governments in the UK have recently moved to ban “single use” plastics. The Scottish Government has positionined itself as leading the way in this respect. As part of the fanfare surrounding Read More…
The Patient Bride
Waste Stories was recently approached by Bruno Noriega, a fourth-year Film and Media student at the University of Stirling and friend of Phoebe and Marvin. He wanted to know a bit more about the project and to use it as a focus for a photojournalism assignment. Last Saturday, George and I went for a Read More…
A Feast of Souls
Night falls. The last light fades from the sky. The white of the snow, the bright red and glossy green of the holly: all turn to grey. Inside, Julia shivers and pulls the curtains tight. Marguerite wimpers in the corner. “Shhh! You must keep quiet, especially now. Dusk is the most dangerous time.” “But Read More…
Wash or waste? A microplastics dilemma
Hannah’s recent post about stained clothes is on my mind. It’s Saturday morning and George is out at work, cleaning the pub. I’m wondering what kind of cleaning cloths he’ll bring home today. I know it doesn’t sound like something worth wondering about, but it has become a source of uncertainty for me, and Read More…
Christmas with Stirling Community Food – Waste Hero
It’s Boxing Day and I want to write about Stirling Community Food (SCF, otherwise known within the Wilbertson household as Waste Reduction). I’ve mentioned it in a couple of other Waste Stories posts (most recently in Flower Food) but I haven’t yet explained what it is; I’ve been planning to write more directly about Read More…
Flower food
This morning (2nd December 2021), Waste Reduction (aka Stirling Community Food) had flowers. Pink lilies, the flowers just beginning to open to reveal dark-speckled, suggestive interiors. Huge sprays of Calla lilies, ready to fill a church or a village hall: wedding or funeral, they wouldn’t care. And dozens and dozens of white roses. Later, we Read More…
It’s not even December and they’re decorating the trees
I know it’s an annual trope, but Christmas (and Christmas waste) really did seem to start earlier this year. The shops switched to their Christmas ranges and started piping shmaltzy Christmas music, even before the lights were switched on. Amid concerns about continued supply chain “issues,” we are urged to stock up early: to Read More…
All Souls Day
Serafino Celebrations – making YOUR moments last forever. Anna added the date to the card – Halloween 2021 – and slid it into the plastic pocket with the coppery-coloured foil disc. “Are you still bringing those into the house?” Anna shrugged. “They seem to be getting here under their own steam now. This one Read More…
Heroes, villains and tidy litter
Throughout the last 15 months, there have been regular reports of widespread, and sometimes mass, littering. In the summer and autumn of 2020, and then again in the spring and early summer of 2021, many media outlets featured stories about waste left on the UK’s beaches and in our wilder or more rural areas. Legal Read More…