2020 IMPACT REPORT
MAP... HIGHLIGHTS OF 2020
MORE THAN DOUBLED OUR ONLINE COMMUNITY From 5,300 to over 13,200 followers.
7 PROJECTS DELIVERED
MEDIA ATTENTION
Including zero waste living, uniforms, fashion and more.
5 TV, 3 radio and around 20 news article features.
ENGAGED WITH OVER 80 COMMUNITY GROUPS Alongside other key stakeholders in the city.
MOVEMENT BUILDING (likes, comments or shares) At Zero Waste Leeds we want to build a movement to help Leeds to become a zero waste city by 2030. During 2020, we have seen the Zero Waste Leeds community grow significantly.
150% INCREASE IN FOLLOWERS On Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
OVER 83,000 ENGAGEMENTS On Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, including comments, likes, and shares.
OVER 3,700 POSTS On Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
A LOCAL FOLLOWING The majority of our social media followers are based in Leeds and the surrounding areas.
OUR WORK
LEEDS SCHOOL UNIFORM EXCHANGE
This year we have launched several new and exciting projects - see pages 5-10 for details. This is alongside our core zero waste work helping people to lead more waste-free lives in Leeds by offering top tips on recycling, food waste, garden waste and stuff.
LEEDS FASHION FUTURES Page 6
Page 5
PLASTIC PIONEERS
GIVE LEEDS
ZERO WASTE LIVING
Page 10
LEEDS BY EXAMPLE Page 9
Page 7
COVID-19 AND WASTE MANAGEMENT Page 8
LEEDS SCHOOL UNIFORM EXCHANGE In June, we launched Leeds School Uniform Exchange to help make second-hand school uniform the first choice in Leeds. In just 10 weeks,
AROUND 3,000 items were reused, saving roughly: 600 KG POTENTIAL TEXTILE WASTE Assuming each item weighs roughly 200g
10,800 KG CO2E Equivalent to the CO2 that would be produced from driving around the world 2.3 times
8.1 MILLION LITRES OF WATER Assuming it takes 2,700 litres of water to make a T shirt
OVER £50,000 Assuming the average uniform item cost from the Department for Education 'Cost of School Uniform' report
LEEDS FASHION FUTURES Through Leeds Fashion Futures we've been exploring how we can work together as a city to reduce the negative environmental impacts of our clothing choices.
39,000 VIEWS OF THE MAP The map shows textile banks, charity shops, repair shops, sewing classes and clothes exchanges in Leeds.
HELD AN ONLINE FASHION WEEK Online events exploring how to reduce the volume of clothing that goes to waste in Leeds.
ENGAGED WITH AROUND 50 STAKEHOLDERS Collaboratively working with key stakeholders in Leeds to further develop the project and widen the impact.
NEARLY 500 FACEBOOK GROUP MEMBERS The Facebook group is for sharing tips and inspiration on reducing the negative impacts of clothing in Leeds.
#GIVELEEDS We launched #GiveLeeds as a month-long campaign during November-December to make it as easy as possible for people to donate to grassroots charities and community groups in our city.
WEBSITE LAUNCHED With 17 charities and community groups added.
800 WEBSITE VISITS During December.
OVER 200 CLICKS ON DONATE BUTTONS Over a quarter of visits led to a click on donate buttons.
REACH OF OVER 41,000 On social media and nearly 300 mentions on #GiveLeeds.
COVID-19 AND WASTE MANAGEMENT During the first lockdown, we delivered a 10-week COVID-19 social media campaign to support Leeds City Council.
NEARLY 1,000 POSTS On Facebook, Twitter and Instagram giving waste service updates and waste reduction tips, including 108 videos.
OVER 17,000 ENGAGEMENTS On Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, including comments, likes, and shares.
10 FACEBOOK LIVE Q&A SESSIONS Giving waste reduction tips.
2 TV AND 1 RADIO FEATURES About waste reduction tips during COVID-19 and the reopening of household waste and recycling centres.
#LEEDSBYEXAMPLE #LeedsByExample began as a project to make in easier for people to recycle "on-the-go". In this latest phase, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the project expanded to include broader environmental impacts, including homes, food, biodiversity, and travel.
18 LUNCHTIME LIVES Including talking to local businesses about the climate, homes, food, biodiversity, stuff and travel.
AN ONLINE SEMINAR To explore the potential positive impacts that growth in use of electric bikes could have in Leeds.
OVER 1,100 MENTIONS On the #LeedsByExample hashtag.
PLASTIC PIONEERS We worked with Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School in Meanwood on Hubbub's Plastic Pioneers project, to reduce single-use plastics in their school, in collaboration with TK Maxx and Homesense.
REDUCED SINGLE-USE PLASTIC Supported students to work with school caterers to reduce single-use plastic in the canteen.
PRACTICAL ACTION Encouraged students to engage in practical action, including a litter pick.
SERIES OF WORKSHOPS Ran a series of workshops with local artists and plastic reduction campaigners
WEBSITE During 2020, we've been busy adding lots of new content onto our website, including zero waste tips and information about all of our latest projects.
19,000 WEBSITE VISITS Mostly visiting from links on our social media.
POPULAR FASHION & UNIFORM PAGES The most visited pages were fashion & school uniform reuse, followed by recycling and garden waste.
TV APPEARANCES In 2020, we appeared five times on BBC Look North for stories on: Waste reduction whilst staying at home during COVID-19 Supporting charity shops by donating secondhand items What happens next to glass that is recycled in Leeds Our school uniform reuse project Making new products from discarded PPE masks
RADIO AND NEWS In 2020, we featured on BBC Radio Leeds and Radio Aire and in several news articles, including in the Yorkshire Evening Post, The Yorkshire Post, North Leeds Life, Leeds Live, South Leeds Life, West Leeds Dispatch, Runners World UK and Wellington Place. See all of our features here. Stories featured our campaigns including: Leeds School Uniform Exchange, #GiveLeeds, waste reduction during COVID-19 and recycling.
FIVE SIGNS OF HOPE WE'RE TAKING INTO 2021 2020 has undoubtably been a very difficult year for all of us. But we want to reflect on five signs of hope we're taking into 2021:
COMMUNITY The power of community with so many reaching out to help others.
MAKING NEW HABITS STICK Changes in habits at home that helped us to cut down on waste.
LOCAL SHARING People beginning to share stuff more locally.
MAKE DO AND MEND With more time on our hands more of us are learning new skills
TECH FOR GOOD Local people have stepped up through groups like TechAngels and DAWY to redistribute old laptops and tablets to people who need them.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR 2021? We will continue building the zero waste movement, engaging with communities and organisations, and helping people in Leeds to waste less in their daily lives. Current plans include:
UNIFORM REUSE WEBSITE Launching a website to make exchanging uniform even easier.
ZERO WASTE FASHION MAP Expanding our fashion map to include more sustainable fashion choices.
TEXTILES HERITAGE & TRADITION Launching a textile heritage week and online interactive heritage trail map.
GIVE LEEDS Looking at ways to develop and expand the #GiveLeeds campaign.
GLASS RECYCLING Working with industry on a glass recycling campaign.
OUR FUNDERS We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has funded us this year.
If you would like to support our work in 2021, please contact us on info@zerowasteleeds.org.uk.