Walkers enjoying a picturesque stroll around Riverside Valley Park in Exeter can now learn more about the area’s rich history of managing recycling and waste, past and present, thanks to a new circular route launched today on the Go Jauntly app.
Using an app, walkers will be guided along the Canal, skirting the edge of Marsh Barton: the heart of recycling in Exeter, around the quay where there is a thriving trade in antiques (the ultimate in reuse), past old paper mills, lime kilns and with an option to walk as far as the site of the old glassworks.
The walking route idea was developed by the Recycle Devon Waste Education Team as part of our schools and community engagement work and was sponsored by Viridor who manage the Exeter Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) on Marsh Barton.
Our Waste Education Team offer schools and community groups an opportunity to visit the ERF and learn about how waste is managed in Devon and how the ERF plant works. The addition of the interactive and engaging walks close to the plant provides an opportunity to extend learning for these groups and offers the wider community and visitors to the area an opportunity to discover more, at a time and pace that suits them.
The Recycle Devon Team have worked with Go Jauntly, a free community-based walking app that already has a large number of walks in and around the Exeter area, many of which were created as part of the Live and Move project in Exeter.
The photo-led interactive walk starts and finishes outside the Exeter ERF and offers two circular options, a full route of 11.2km or a shorter walk of 7.7km. Additional Interpretation panels in the app provide information and links to videos and further information about both the history and current management of waste and recycling, helping people to understand the importance of thinking about how we use our natural resources.
Councillor Roger Croad, Chair of the Devon Authorities Strategic Waste Committee, said:
“Devon residents are fantastic at recycling and they often want to know more about where their waste goes and what else they can do; this trail provides a fun, interactive way for people to discover just that!”
A display board has been created with information, a map and QR code to link to the walks on the app. The display board marks the start of the walk and is located on the walkway over the railway line next to Marsh Barton Station and the ERF.
Rosa Williams, Contract Manager at Viridor said:
“We are really pleased to be able to help bring this project to life with support from our We Share community fund. At Viridor, we are committed to building a world where nothing goes to waste and this project is a brilliant way to engage local people on the importance of creating a circular economy. Everyone can play their part and this walk shows the difference we can all make with small changes to our daily lives.”
Hana Sutch, CEO and Co-founder from Go Jauntly said:
“The Circular economy is an important tool for a more sustainable future. Helping everyone learn about the past, present and future of how natural resources and waste are managed is super important, and made easy by trying these fantastic new walks.”
To view the routes and get started, download the free Go Jauntly app