ENVIRONMENT TIMES WOULD LIKE TO LET YOU KNOW ABOUT FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN OUR LONG TERM CAMPAIGN OF RECYCLING INKJET CARTRIDGES, TONERS AND MOBILE PHONES TO HELP WOMEN FARMERS IN THE GAMBIA, WEST AFRICA - ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN THESE TIMES OF RISING FOOD PRICES. IF YOU THINK THE CREDIT CRUNCH IS HITTING YOUR FAMILY BUDGET HARD - SPARE A THOUGHT FOR THOSE FARMING IN THE TOUGH SAHELIAN ENVIRONMENT, JUST SOUTH OF THE SAHARA, WHERE STAPLE FOOD HAS RECENTLY MORE THAN DOUBLED IN PRICE.

The Gambian-run National Women Farmers' Association has successfully supported 48,000 women working in co-operative village groups since the 1990's, increasing their wealth and food security to cope with and overcome a lack of national infrastructure, food dumping from countries with subsidised agriculture and adverse global financial and climate changes.

Environment Times has now teamed up with KMP, a major European cartridge re-manufacturer, to add further support to Gambia’s NAWFA organisation, whom we have been giving some support since 2005.

FACT:A staggering 66% of used ink cartridges and ink toners end up swelling the contents of UK landfills, that’s 15 million toner and 35 million inkjet cartridges, or 28,000 tonnes of yearly pollution - what a waste!

Returning your cartridges, toners and mobiles in the freepost envelopes or a 'drop box' that we can send you will do something useful to prevent this polluting waste, and depending on cartridge type - will generate between £0.40 to £3.00 directly to the NAWFA women farmers - that’s worth a lot to a country whose majority population live off less than £210 a year!

Please contact Duncan Ashcroft, the Editor, either by email duncan@environmenttimes.co.uk or phone 01257 474973 to request freepost recycling envelopes or a drop box. Standing about three foot tall, drop boxes are neat attractive green cardboard boxes that can take larger amounts of inkjet and the larger laser printer toners too. We can arrange with KMP, the recyclers we have teamed up with, for free delivery and collection from your address. The recycling envelopes take smaller amounts (about 6 inkjet cartridges or a couple of mobile phones), and Environment Times can send you these directly and all you do is pop them in the post when full - it's freepost. The envelopes are too small to take laser printer toners - so that's where the drop boxes come in.

So please combat our disgraceful throwaway society and divert some of the 66% of used cartridges and toners that end up in landfills to our campaign. These cartridges will be processed, cleaned and re-filled by KMP and the money from our partnership with them will also give direct cash support to the Gambia’s national women farmers, an established well-organised organised co-operative of 48,000 women who are making great improvements in their livelihoods. Please note that as an example of the global food crisis, a bag of rice in The Gambia is set to reach 1,250 dalasis (about £30) in a country where the average wage is £210 a year, so your help with NAWFA is extremely welcome.

Our partnership with the National Women Farmers’ Association (NAWFA) goes towards supporting their existing work of :

• Provision of low cost seeds, tools and equipment

• Co-operatives and farm marketing, producing good prices

• Assistance with training and literacy

• Setting up of added-value food processing in small factories

• Efficient crop production in times of rising food prices

• Allowing the women farmers to re-invest back into their families

Njagga Jawo, the executive director of NAWFA who I met on my last trip to The Gambia, has sent me the prices of items that the recycled cartridges can support in the area of seeds, tools and equipment. Thus with this information, the average cartridge recycled income equals:

7 cartridges/toners = 9kg rice seed, 28 kg maize seed, 14kg sesame seed, or 36 kg groundnut seed.

15 cartridges/toners = 1kg of vegetable seeds (onion, aubergine 'garden egg', tomato; etc).

504 cartridges/toners a draught animal (such as an ox).

602 cartridges/toners would get a sine hoe.

756 cartridges/toners an eco-seeder or a plough.

6034 cartridges/toners purchases a power tiller, and to further alleviate women's drudgery plus give added cash value to products, 10052 cartridges/toners would get an oil expeller/refiner.

15078 old cartridges/toners would buy a cereal miller.

So the more companies, organisations, schools and individuals that join our charitable initiative, the more difference can be made to the NAWFA organisation's women farmers, their livelihoods and families.