One man from Christchurch has changed the way his village thinks about recycling and protecting the environment by launching an eco friendly project.
Nathan Lansdell has turned his passion into a community-led scheme by encouraging residents to learn more about looking after the world around them.
Since the launch of the Christchurch Eco group in August, dozens of kilos of waste have been recycled through four TerraCycle stations including crisp packets, pet food pouches and beauty products.
"My goal was to raise awareness of recycling and how we can protect our environment, but my village is so small I didn't think people would be interested," he said.
"But it has absolutely snowballed and I have had such a great response.
"Trying to get people to change their habits is difficult but it's just about having an open mind.
"The kids at Townley Primary School are really interested and have lots of questions to ask, so it proves that it is working."
Nathan, who is also a web designer, prepared an online guide for people to learn more about what recycling labels mean, what can be recycled and get some handy tips on being eco-friendly.
But the IT whizz wasn't always into environmental matters - it was only in recent years it became part of his life.
"I realised that there was so much more that we could do to help," he explained.
"Before that I used to think 'why worry about stuff like that' but now I see the huge difference this could make to the village.
"Even if a few people can do something different then it can change the way we live."
Nathan is also planning on starting a Street Pride group in the village and creating a 'shout-out' system for people to help each other get items from the nearest supermarket.
He continued: "I would like to reduce the number of cars going out the village too, especially if it could help someone in need get emergency supplies as there is no bus service.
"I want to reduce the amount going to a landfill, raising awareness of the little ways we can help and educating children to make the village stand out.
"I'm looking at holding an event for the whole village in November and to hopefully secure some funding.
"I can't believe that from one idea on Facebook it has turned into this huge project."
Anyone who is interested in volunteering with Nathan for Christchurch Eco can get in touch at https://christchurcheco.co.uk/ or by visiting their Facebook page.
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