BDAS- Waste to Worth: The Power of Repair, Sharing and Reuse in Bristol

How can circular economy practices such as repair, sharing, reuse and composting help Bristol’s communities build skills, strengthen social connections and ease the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis? This panel explores the power of community-led initiatives to reduce waste, build resilience and create a more sustainable, connected city. Host Laura Fogg-Rogers, Associate Professor of Engineering in Society at UWE Bristol, will introduce the circular economy in accessible terms and highlight city-wide efforts such as the Bristol Repair Coalition.

She will be joined by Anna Perry, Chair of Share Bristol; Jenny Liggitt from Heart of BS13; and Andy Street, Chair of FareShare South West and Feeding Bristol. Together they will discuss how initiatives such as repair, sharing schemes, composting and food redistribution can strengthen communities, develop practical skills and support people through the cost-of-living crisis.

The conversation will celebrate Bristol’s existing successes while exploring future possibilities for a more circular and resilient city.

About Laura

Dr Laura Fogg Rogers is Associate Professor Engineering in Society at UWE Bristol. She has a DPhil in Psychology and researches community engagement in sustainability from a social cognitive and social identity perspective. Her current research includes the MAKERS project (Making and Knowledge Exchange for Repair and Sustainability) and the Bristol Repair Coalition, leading the South West Climate Ambassadors Hub and Inspire Green Futures schools project, and evaluating the West of England Community Climate and Nature Action project. In her spare time, Laura is also a Director of the Frome Valley Environmental Network, which runs repair cafes in South Gloucestershire and supports the newest Share Bristol site in Winterbourne. She is also Mum to two children, so is keen to see a more sustainable future.

About Anna

Anna Perry is the Chair of Trustees at Share Bristol, a local charity formed in 2020 which has since opened four Share Bristol Library of Things locations across Bristol and South Gloucestershire. This charity runs a sharing club, enabling members to borrow the everyday things they don't need every day. During the day, Anna is CEO of Great Western Air Ambulance Charity, another important local organisation, which has the ambition of becoming the first carbon-neutral air ambulance in the world.

About Andy

After graduating from London University in Civil Engineering, Andy moved to Bristol in 1980, and since then the city has been home for his wife and family.

In parallel with a successful career as an environmental consultant and international waste management specialist (one of the five founding Directors of global consultancy SLR) Andy has in recent years increasingly become involved in charity work and social enterprise / business and social investment in Bristol, and also actively supporting microfinance and social investment in the developing world. Professionally he has worked on waste / resource management projects across the world, in recent years focusing on renewable energy, resource strategy and the circular economy.

He set up and Chairs FareShare South-West and Feeding Bristol and is Chair of a number of other charity, partnership or community-based initiatives focusing on a collaborative approach to city transformation.

About Jenny

Jenny Liggitt is a lifelong champion of waste reduction, community action, and soil health, with a passion that began in her teenage years. What started as an early obsession with recycling grew into a career dedicated to reshaping how people understand waste, value resources, and connect environmental action to everyday life.

In her twenties, Jenny worked with Network Recycling, At the same time, Jenny began experimenting with backyard composting. What started as a personal hobby grew into a neighbourhood operation as she teamed up with a local gardener to collect more compostable materials and create larger batches from her back garden.

When a composting role emerged at Heart of BS13, Jenny stepped into what felt like a tailor‑made opportunity. She worked with over 60 households and four schools to create lasting behaviour change around separating food waste from general waste streams.

Although initial funding for the project ended, Jenny redesigned the model as a mini social enterprise, offering food‑waste collection for local businesses and providing each with a carbon‑saving certificate. Today she collects from a wide range of partners — including Bedminster Fire Station, Sparks, Shreddenhams, Fox and West, Campus, Keyline, Oort, RC Fasteners, Hartcliffe City Farm, and Heart of BS13’s own kitchens.

Jenny’s work is rooted in a simple but powerful belief: from death comes life. She advocates for organic waste as an immensely valuable resource — one that can grow food, restore biodiversity, sequester carbon, and reconnect communities to the cycles that sustain our planet.

18:00 Arrival & registration in Foyer.

18:30 Event starts in Watershed.

19:30 Q&A.

19:45 Event ends.

19:45-21:00 Networking and drinks

The Bristol Distinguished Address Series (BDAS) is brought to you by UWE Bristol, and provides an opportunity to hear unique perspectives and insights from change makers, activists, entrepreneurs, and people who have achieved amazing things in Bristol and beyond.

You can attend this event in person or watch online via live-stream.

Attending in-person: Watershed, Bristol. Further information on how to find us will be emailed to you a few days before the event.

Attending online: The livestream link will be emailed to you a few days before the event.

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Disabled parking: No

Step-free access: Yes

Accessible toilets: Yes

Assisted Listening: Yes

Guide/assistance dog-friendly: Yes

Quiet spaces available: Yes

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Event Venue

Watershed, 1 Canon's Road, Bristol, United Kingdom

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