Celebrating a Greener, Fairer Sutton

Making Sutton a more sustainable place is one of my key priorities and it's been fantastic to see that vision brought to life by our community over the last few weeks. 

Fairtrade Fortnight, which finishes on Sunday, is all about celebrating the difference we can all make when we choose Fairtrade and campaign as part of a UK-wide movement calling for a fairer system behind the things we consume every day.​ 

I’m proud that Sutton is a Fairtrade borough and has been since 2007. This is a long standing commitment that shows we, both as a council and a community, will stand up for trade justice. Sutton’s Fairtrade Community Group is keeping the commitment to Fairtrade alive in Sutton. They host regular stalls at the popular Wallington Farmers Market and have an annual stall at the EcoFair in Carshalton Park. 

Together with the Mayor of Sutton, Councillor Louise Phelan, I was delighted to host a thank you event this week for our amazing Fairtrade volunteers, staff and managers from our local Fairtrade retailers and representatives of Fairtrade UK. It was great to also be joined at the event by Carshalton and Wallington’s MP Bobby Dean. 

And last week was Recycle Week, another great reminder to think about our waste. To get some ideas of what you can recycle have a look at Sutton Council’s A-Z of rubbish and recycling. Stay tuned for more announcements over the coming weeks as to how we are going to make it easier for you to recycle small electrical items in your home as part of our new waste contract.  

But it's not just about recycling – it's about reducing and reusing, too. That's why I'm so excited about Sutton’s brilliant repair cafes Ruskin Road Repair Cafe and Sutton Repair Cafe. It’s fantastic to see skilled volunteers fixing everything from toasters to chairs, saving beloved items from landfill. Find out about all the different ways you can help to recycle, repair and upcycle.

Everything you do – from choosing Fairtrade products to fixing a broken kettle to recycling your waste – is a perfect example of our priorities in action. 

It proves that when we work together, our ambition for Sutton becomes a reality. Thank you for being part of it. Let's keep up the great work!

Councillor Barry Lewis  
Leader of Sutton Council