COMMUNITY RECYCLING
How to set up a local waste reduction, re-use or recycling project
A Practical Guide
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sharing Resources
Sharing Resources is a joint Waste Watch and Community Recycling Network project and was launched in February 1999. It is currently funded by the National Lottery Charities Board to provide free of charge training and specialist consultancy services to community groups across the UK who wish to set up new waste reduction, re-use or recycling projects or develop and expand existing ventures.
Sharing Resources
The Create Centre
Smeaton Road
Hotwells
Bristol
BS1 6XN
Tel (0117) 907 4088
Fax (0117) 907 4089
E-mail sharing@wastewatch.org.uk
Web : www.crn.org.uk
Waste Watch
Waste Watch is the national charity promoting waste reduction, reuse and recycling and was established in 1987. It operates Wasteline, a free telephone and postal information service, and offers information and advice through publications, seminars, training days and conferences. It produces education materials for schools and works with local authorities, businesses and community groups to promote practical action. For general information on reducing, reusing and recycling waste contact the Waste Watch Wasteline, tel 0870 243 0136.
Waste Watch
96 Tooley Street
London SE1 2TH
Tel: 020 7089 2100
Fax: 020 7403 4802
E-mail: info@wastewatch.org.uk
Registered charity no. 1005417. Company limited by guarantee no. 2649156. VAT registration number 557844680. Waste Watch is part funded by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions' Environmental Action Fund.
CRN
The Community Recycling Network (CRN) is the national umbrella organisation for over 250 community groups, co-operatives and not-for-profit businesses in the community waste sector. Members work in partnership with local authorities and business to develop best practice in all fields of sustainable waste management, including waste minimisation, re-use and materials recycling. The CRN promotes the sociological and environmental benefits of community recycling by providing advice, training, information and practical initiatives.
Community Recycling Network
2nd Floor, Trelawney House,
Surrey Street,
Bristol, BS2 8PS
Tel (0117) 942 142
Fax (0117) 9080225
e-mail info@crn.org.uk
Web : www.crn.org.uk
Community Recycling Network Ltd is registered under the Industrial and provident Societies Acts 1965-1978.
Community Recycling - How to set up a local waste reduction, re-use or recycling project, 4th Edition.
This 4th edition was updated and revised by Lorna Langdon of Sharing Resources. Thanks are due to all community groups who have provided information for case study features, and to the Sharing Resources Team of Advisors for their comments and evaluation. This original 1st Edition of Community Recycling was written by John Barwise and subsequently updated by Ella Young and Ray Georgeson of Waste Watch.
© Copyright Waste Watch 1999
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
ISBN 1 898026 82 3
A catalogue of this book is available from the British Library
Printed on Reprise 100% post consumer recycled paper.
INTRODUCTION
Section 1 Ideas to get you started
Producing a local waste directory
Kerbside collections
Community collection depots and bring sites
Scrapstores
Repair & renovation : Furniture & domestic electrical appliances
Composting
Section 2 Starting a recycling project
Doing your homework
Getting a group organised
Money matters
Premises
Transport
Insurance
Publicity and promotion
Workforce
Starting a recycling business
Section 3 Recycling materials
Paper
Ferrous metals
Aluminium
Glass
Plastics
Textiles
Household hazardous waste
Section 4 Contacts and further reading
General contacts
Contacts : success stories
Further reading
INTRODUCTION
The size of our waste problem is immense! About 27 million tonnes of municipal waste alone is created each year in the UK, which is growing steadily year on year by about 3%. Currently, there is no statutory requirement for local authorities to provide recycling services, which is why so many community based organisations across the UK have established their own schemes, often in partnership with their local authority and / or the business sector. Today, collectively they provide recycling services to over 4 million people, 14,000 businesses and 2,000 schools and colleges across the UK, and have created hundreds of new jobs and training opportunities into the bargain. In fact, the CRN membership handles the largest tonnage of kerbside recyclables of any company in the UK.
The 1996/97 UK recycling rate was 7.5%, and although there are currently no statutory measures for recycling services, the Government has set a voluntary targets of recycling or composting 25% of the UK's household waste by 2005. There are also medium term objectives of 45% recovery, including 30% recycling and composting by 2010. The impetus for these targets has mainly come from European legislation on waste, which is slowing impacting on the UK. The main measure is the recently adopted EU Landfill Directive, which requires all member states to reduce biodegradable municipal waste to 65% of 1995 arisings and for two thirds of municipal waste to be recovered by 2015. This will have an effect on how we manage waste materials such as kitchen and garden waste, paper and wood from households in the future.
Another important piece of legislation, is The Packaging Regulations and Producer Responsibility Obligations, 1997 - designed to implement the recycling and recovery targets of the EC Directive on Packaging and Packaging wastes. This stipulates that each member state should recover at least 50% of all packaging wastes, and that at least 25% should be recycled, with a minimum of 15% for each material - paper, aluminium, steel, plastics and glass (including wood from 2000). It is the responsibility of the producers of the packaging waste materials to collect them and provide evidence in the form of Packaging Recovery Notes (PRNs) that they have met their requirements. The Environment Agency are responsible for regulating this process. Although it is early days, the amount of packaging waste created continues to rise and the full impact of this measure has not yet been realised by the community waste sector.
The guide covers a wide range of issues of importance to the prospective recycler. It includes information on some recyclable materials, a guide to different types of recycling project (including case studies), and practical advice on setting up projects, which includes everything from getting insurance to dealing with waste management legislation. Whether you are looking to start a totally voluntary run, local project, or a fully - fledged community business, this book will provide you with enough information to get started.
Make good use of the range of advice available to help to realise your ideas; specialist advice and tailor made consultancy is available through Sharing Resources and its team of Advisors, all of whom have been recruited from well established and successful community based ventures from across the UK. Further sources of advice and information are always available through the Waste Watch Wasteline and the Community Recycling Network.
Every effort has been made to ensure that all the information in this guide is correct, but in a fast moving world, legislation and other factual details can change quickly. You should always seek professional guidance on matters which involve legislation such as insurance, employment law and waste management licensing.
Finally, always remember the old maxim about little acorns turning into great oaks - the efforts of many of the established groups and projects featured in this guide started with only one or two people. The goals of reducing pollution, saving energy and resources, and creating new, worthwhile jobs and training opportunities are always worth that first small effort!