Nick Welsh, Shop Manager of The Iona Community Welcome Centre on the Isle of Iona, shares her monthly book recommendations and why she’s become known as the lady who collects blister packs!
Living on a small island and trying to save the planet are not always compatible. Recycling of items not collected by our local council can be difficult. At the Iona Community Welcome Centre we have come up with some schemes to make this a little easier, with the side effect of showing what a great local island community we have on Iona and Mull.
In the spring of 2024 we began by selling second hand books, donated by members of the local community. The proceeds from these sales were then put towards buying a large box from Terracycle to recycle medicine blister packs. There is nowhere closer than Glasgow or Edinburgh to do this otherwise. Once the box was in place a notice was put on our local Facebook page offering the facility to the local community.
A lady from Tobermory saw this and contacted me asking if it would be ok for her to collect them in Tobermory then send them to Iona when someone was travelling this way anyway. In December a visitor arrived clutching a large black bin bag full of blister packs. She was a friend of a friend of the lady from Tobermory. She also brought with her a donation towards the cost of recycling and a Terracycle bag to use to recycle whatever was next on our list.
We have now sent off two full large teracycle boxes, with the third in position in the shop. All funded by secondhand book sales.
This story may seem mundane but not only does it illustrate how people can care for the planet in small ways, but it also shows the power of community cooperation. Small community actions can be very powerful in making a difference, and in influencing Government to act.
I now get approached around the islands as the lady who collects blister packs and works for the Iona Community, and I have made valuable contacts across the islands for future recycling projects.
Nick’s Book Recommendations
You can order from the Iona Community Shop for mail order. Contact Nick for more information: [email protected]
Photo: Staff and volunteers displaying some of the many things that are for sale in the shop. Credit: B. Forsyth
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