Surrey Libraries Launches Eco Library Cards during Green Libraries Week

Surrey County Council will move to fully biodegradable library membership cards across all 52 libraries. 

This exciting, environmentally friendly initiative coincides with the celebration of Green Libraries Week (2 – 8 October), a nationwide event that highlights the importance of sustainability in library settings. 

Surrey Libraries has printed 60,000 new eco library membership cards as a result of signing the Green Libraries Manifesto 2023. The Green Libraries Manifesto, hosted by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in partnership with Arts Council England, British Library, Libraries Connected and Julie’s Bicycle, aims to bring environmental sustainability into the heart of decision-making in Libraries.   

Printing the eco cards is part of Surrey’s commitment to the environment. These new library cards available for all new library members are robust, compostable, recyclable and break down in a shorter time than plastic cards thus reducing the amount of waste going to landfill and are a significant step toward becoming a more sustainable organisation. 

30,000 of the 60,000 library cards printed have been designed by the winners of last year’s Surrey Culture Explorer Passport Challenge. More than 200 young artists submitted designs. The winning four designs were chosen by Surrey Library managers and will be a limited edition design.  

Congratulations to the four winners of the competition who were 9-year-old Niamh from Woking library, 10-year-old Robin from Dittons library, 10-year-old Freya from Frimley Green library and 9-year-old Faron from Caterham Valley library (aged 9). In additional, 20,000 adult library cards and 10,000 0-to-5-year library cards have also been printed.  

All new members joining the Library from this week will receive one of the new eco cards. If you are a current member with an older plastic card, we encourage you to use this card until it needs replacing in order to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. However, members who have lost their card will be able to buy one of the new eco cards as a replacement as per the library lost card policy.  

As part of Green Libraries Week, two Library of Things will be launching in Godalming and Haslemere. These Libraries contain household items that people might require infrequently, for example; certain garden tools, sewing machines, tents and carpet cleaners. 

The focus of each Library of Things is on borrowing/hiring items rather than purchasing them, with the aim of reduce both carbon emissions and waste going to landfill. Both are being delivered in partnership with local charities, Godalming Library with What Next and Haslemere Library with Love Haslemere Hate Waste.   

In keeping with the green libraries week theme, libraries across the county will be hosting a variety of free and low cost events to mark Green Libraries Week that cater for all age groups, from talks by best-selling authors, to themed Rhymetime sessions and fun and creative children’s activities such as making bug hotels and seed planting that encourage awareness and action towards a greener planet. 

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Communities and Community Safety, Councillor Denise Turner-Stewart said: “The library card competition was a fantastic opportunity for the young people of Surrey to show off their creative flair in the Surrey Culture Explorer Passport Challenge. Congratulations to our four winners for their fantastic entries, and a huge thank you to everyone who took part; there was obviously a lot of thought and creativity put into all the entries received. 

“The smart new eco library cards are another example of how we strive to make better environmental choices here in Surrey and continue with our ambition to promote a greener future across the county. I look forward to seeing the new cards in circulation.”  

 Assistant Director, Art, Culture, Heritage & Libraries Sue Wills said: “We are proud to introduce these new cards designed by our own library visitors and they are environmentally friendly too!  The library card is a symbol of our commitment to environmental sustainability. By introducing this initiative during Green Libraries Week, we aim to inspire our community to make small changes that collectively have a big impact on the environment. 

“There is so much going on at Surrey libraries currently, if you haven’t visited in a while then please do.  Libraries have always been about reusing and recycling resources for the community, but you may not be aware just how many fantastic free or low-cost events take part within libraries or how just how many free resources you can access.” 

To find out more about activities and events taking place during Green Libraries week visit the Surrey Libraries web pages: https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/libraries 

Stay updated with all the latest news and developments by following Surrey Libraries on social media:

• Facebook @SurreyLibrariesUK  

• Twitter @SurreyLibrariesUK  

ENDS 

Notes to Editors 

The new library cards will be made from PPG Teslin which is a material that is better for the environment without sacrificing the durability of the cards. The biodegradable cards have 7.8% degradation over 74 days with continued breakdown expected, therefore, much better for the environment than our previous plastic cards.   

Library of Things events take place at Godalming Library on Wednesday 4 October from 3-4.30pm and Haslemere Library on Friday 6 October from 1-3pm.