Transition in Action, Totnes 2030, an Energy Descent Action Plan

2021-2025

Mending and many old skills around reuse and making good have had a renaissance, hardly anyone buys new clothes these days, and recycled clothes shops aren’t just limited to charities anymore. 20’s Slapper fashions are back.
‘Material Revival’ has opened in Babbage Road. An old warehouse is being used to recycle old clothing, curtains, rags etc for making cottons and wools into shoddy and stuffing. Local manufacturers are delighted.
Most households are down to Zero Waste. They produce virtually no residual waste that cannot be recycled.
Cool Recycling Innovations opens up for business in Totnes offering ‘imaginative solutions to unusual problems’. First customer Nigel Rees asks for ideas for his pile of broken roof slates; 2 phone calls later Nigel is on his way to help lay a sub floor damp proof course.
Virtually all manufactured goods are produced from 100% recycled materials

Old Beds are in short supply, but they are high demand for migrants. Rebuilding beds from old wardrobes has started a new fad for Crazy Beds, where beds which are easily transportable, made from recycled materials and are interesting to look at can be entered into the Community Website for interesting photos. A number of Crazy Beds include shelf systems and lockers to help new arrivals. Totnes Hospital has put up a prize for the best 3 beds, which it will use as part of its corridor admissions trolleys.
Flood damaged goods from houses affected in the recent storm surges are being restored and renovated as part of the local flood relief scheme. Flood relief officer Reginald Barry observed that the changes in wastewater treatment means we don’t have to deal with sewage, so the clean up is much better.
Households can collect their weekly free allocation of bio-solids (digestate) from their local AD site.

SHDC is proposing to commence mining former landfill sites for resources. A feasibility study is to be conducted on the back of recent research, which suggests the batteries alone will make this worthwhile.
Based on the very successful Waste Recovery System at Dartington Estate, mall localised AD units are to be installed at sites with large amounts of effluents and where piping to local AD units is not possible. KEVICCS school and Totnes Hospital will each have a unit which will be set up to provide on site heating and methane for their community vehicles. The digestate will be used in their horticultural units.
Where piped infrastructure is possible, community composters are to be switched across to anaerobic digestion.
Trade with China has changed dramatically and the UK is now selling waste reduction and recycling expertise.