Rubies in the Rubble – a London-based social enterprise seeking to minimise food waste and assist women struggling to find employment – has won sustainability funding from Ben & Jerry’s.
The organisation was awarded the UK ‘Join our Core’ prize from ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s, which was seeking ‘bright sparks’ in the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands, which ‘are creating cool new models for sustainable business which will help make a difference in communities’. The prize consists of €10,000 of funding and six months of mentoring by social enterprise network Ashoka.
Rubies in the Rubble hires struggling Londoners to help produce chutneys and jams made from surplus fresh fruit and vegetables about to be discarded from a local market in East London.
Jenny Dawson, founder of Rubies in the Rubble, says the organisation’s goal is “to tackle one problem – our shortage of jobs – with another – our surplus of food.” Ultimately, the company aims to have kitchens across the UK, Europe and the Western world dedicated to “finding ‘Rubies in the Rubble’ and making the finest products from the surplus”.
Dawson was inspired by her own eyewitness testimony to figures such as those reported by the UN that one third of worldwide food produce is wasted every year. Tackling the issue of food waste, coupled with a desire to help out some of the more than 400,000 unemployed Londoners, led to the creation of her social enterprise.
For further information about Jenny Dawson and Rubies in the Rubble, visit the Rubies in the Rubble website.
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How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.