A volunteer group that has helped thousands of North Yorkshire residents reduce waste, save money and protect the environment is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
The North Yorkshire Rotters were founded to promote home composting and encourage people to reduce, reuse and recycle. Over the past two decades, volunteers have delivered free talks, workshops and practical demonstrations in schools, community groups and at public events across the county.
The group also supports national campaigns such as Love Food Hate Waste, offering advice on reducing food waste and helping residents make the most of their home compost bins.
To mark the milestone, volunteers gathered at County Hall in Northallerton for a special celebration event. Some of the longest-serving members were presented with badges and certificates in recognition of their dedication.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for managing our environment, Richard Foster, hosted the presentations.
He said: “It has been an honour to celebrate the achievements of our dedicated and passionate volunteers.
“For 20 years, the North Yorkshire Rotters have given up their time to inspire communities to make easy and sustainable changes to reduce waste and protect our environment. I want to thank them all on behalf of the council and the residents they are supporting.”
The volunteers play a key role in supporting North Yorkshire Council’s Beyond Carbon programme, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help the authority achieve its ambition of becoming net carbon neutral.
Their impact has been significant. Since 2019 alone, volunteers have contributed around 8,800 hours of their time, helping to prevent almost 3,700 tonnes of waste and 2,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. The work has also saved the council more than £462,000.
Among those recognised was long-serving volunteer Pauline Percival, one of only two members who have been involved since the programme began.
She said: “To me, volunteering with the North Yorkshire Rotters is all about meeting people. If you’re interested in talking to people about a variety of subjects including food waste, composting and climate change then let us know.”
The council is encouraging more people to join the initiative and help continue its work supporting communities across North Yorkshire.
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