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Section 1

Ideas to get you started

PRODUCING A LOCAL WASTE DIRECTORY

Why have a directory?

For any group planning to set up a local project, producing a local waste directory for the area can be a good way of starting. It can :

· Raise awareness of the need to reduce waste in the first place.

· Promote re-use and recycling as a practical alternative to the dustbin.

· Be a vital part of the market research you should do before starting a new venture.

· Be a good promotional tool for your group's activities.

What is a waste directory?

A waste directory is a source of information on :

· What materials can be recycled locally (and what can't!)

· Which organisations, public, private and voluntary, do what in your area.

· How they can be contacted.

· Where recycling and civic amenity sites ("council tips and recycling centres") are situated in your area. Include all collection sites, such as supermarkets or schools.

· Who is repairing and re-using waste goods eg. Charity shops and Scrap Stores.

· Tips on re-use of materials in the home. 

Who needs a directory?

You do! Before starting any practical recycling or waste reduction activity, you need to:

· Find out what is already happening in your area.

· Who is already collecting waste materials.

· Where recycling facilities and civic amenity sites are located.

This information, compiled as a directory, will benefit everyone in the community with an interest in recycling and reducing waste, and the directory can be used to publicise the work and aims of your group. Waste directories have proved to be one of the most successful ventures local groups have undertaken - they raise public awareness and show that recycling is a practical local alternative to the dustbin, landfill site and incinerator. 

Your directory

Determine the scope of the directory and the geographical area to be covered. Fitting in with parish or council boundaries often makes sense. Remember that the main purpose of the directory is to show people where to take their wastes and unwanted items for recycling or re-use, and that someone cares. Take the opportunity to say why recycling is important and what your group is doing or planning.

The accuracy of the information you collect is all important. Gathering information is time-consuming and sometimes tedious and there is no substitute for using the telephone. Even where groups have used questionnaires to gather information about who collects what, they have found that telephone checking is invariably needed to ensure the accuracy of information received. It can help to use a questionnaire style format as the basis of a telephone interview - this makes sure that all helpers ask the same questions and avoids the possibility of major gaps in the information collected.

Example telephone questionnaire

Hello.

My name is ………….. and I'm calling on behalf of ………….. We are a local community group committed to improving our environment by reducing waste and litter problems in the area, and are currently producing a useful directory of information about where people can take their waste and unwanted items for re-use or recycling. 

Have you got 5 minutes to complete a survey with me?

Finally, can you tell me what you do with your own, in-house waste?

THANKYOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.

Goodbye.

Ask other local groups and charities to help you collect information. You may be able to join forces with some of them or with your local authority to produce a directory together - sharing the work can save time and money. Remember to allow at least six weeks for research, preparation and production.

Raising money

Assuming you can call upon volunteers to compile and design your directory, you will still need funds for telephone enquiries and for printing and distribution. Costs will vary with the length and style of your directory, but as a guide, you are likely to need at least £500 to cover printing and recycled paper for 3,000 copies of a ten page A5 document.

You could try asking at your local Volunteer Bureau , Local Agenda 21 group, Scouts and Brownies or Community Centre for some assistance with this; they may be prepared to let you borrow their equipment.

However, if you do have to find some money, it can be raised in various ways. You can ask your local authority and local businesses for sponsorship, sell advertising space, apply to local charities for a contribution, invite individual donations and organise jumble sales and other fundraising events.

Presentation

Make your directory easy to follow. People want to know at a glance what to do with their bottles, where to take their waste paper. Many groups have found that an A-Z format works well, using an A5 size booklet. Try to have a distinctive cover, and use cartoons or local children's drawings and other illustrations. Short supportive contributions from local dignitaries may also be useful. A good directory should include the following:

Foreword - Ask your local Member of Parliament or another well known person to contribute this, arguing the case for recycling and waste reduction in the community and praising the directory .

Acknowledgements - Credit all those who have made the directory possible, including sponsors, researchers, editor, designer and printer.

Contents - Show how the directory can be used and arrange it in such a way that readers can turn quickly to the relevant section. Include an index if you do not use an A-Z format. Cross reference if possible eg. Bottles - glass, and be specific.

Readers will want to know:

Steps they can take to produce less waste.

This can include simple tips such as re-using jars and using milk bottles, rather than plastic containers, refusing plastic bags in shops, avoiding over-packaged goods. You could simply illustrate this section with pictures and symbols.

What can be recycled.

As a minimum you should include sections on batteries, bric-a-brac and household items, aluminium and steel cans, clothes and textiles, furniture and electrical goods, glass, metals, motor oil, paper and card, plastics, stamps and coins, vegetable and garden waste. You may want to say why these should be recycled or re-used even if, at present, there are no local facilities to do so.

Where to take wastes.

Give addresses and (where appropriate) telephone numbers of :

· charity shops

· scrap stores

· community groups

· scrap merchants

· bottle banks

· repair workshops

· furniture and appliance schemes

· civic amenity sites.

Remember to say when special conditions apply (for example, clothes must be clean and dry) and give the opening times of collecting centres.

Why and where to buy recycled and locally provided goods.

List simply the reasons for buying recycled products, and include, for example, charity shops and retailers selling recycled paper. For more information about this, have a look at the Waste Watch and National Recycling Forum UK Recycled Products Guide (£50).

Useful contacts.

List the local authority Recycling Officer, Agenda 21 Officer, Environmental Education Officer or equivalent. Waste Watch also has a telephone based public information service, Wasteline, which you may like to include : 0870 243 0136.

Extras.

Include tips on how to separate and store materials for recycling at home. Short 'newsy' stories showing how local groups have used recycling to raise funds for good causes may also be useful. Include photographs of any local business, school, youth or community based initiatives - pictures of people (with their consent, of course.)

Distribution.

While you are preparing the directory, you should be arranging publicity and distribution. Try to ensure that the directory is widely available through local shops, libraries, information centres, Citizens Advice Bureaux and other places where people meet, such as surgeries. Your local council may also help you - by publicising the directory in their mailings to residents, for example. You might like to think about timing the distribution with a nationally based campaign e.g. BT Environment Week or the Tidy Britain Group National Spring Clean. Some local groups have joined forces with the local press and distributed a directory as an insert in the local newspaper - a different option that may be appropriate for your area. Charging for your directory is one way of trying to recoup costs. This can be difficult and a complicated invoicing system may not make it worth your while, in any case, some shops will not stock directories if they have to sell them. You could consider asking for donations instead.

National recycling directories.

Waste Watch's National Recycling Directory is available for £37.50 to non-members (there is a discount for members). It lists recycling facilities and contacts for all local authorities and many voluntary organisations in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It also includes national contacts for all major trade and industry associations, public and voluntary sector bodies and Government departments involved with recycling and waste management. It is also available on CD-ROM in different formats, please ring the Waste Watch Wasteline for more details.

The Community Recycling Network (CRN) National Directory of information is available to members of the network, free of charge.

Further information

Community Waste Action

C/o The Recycling Consortium

The Create Centre

Smeaton Road

Bristol

BS1 6XN

Tel : 0117 930 4355

Fax : 0117 929 7283

E-mail : brisrc@brisrc.demon.co.uk

KERBSIDE COLLECTIONS

Kerbside collections, ie collecting materials door-to door, continues to be a popular option for groups starting recycling projects, although the problems of finding stable markets for materials (especially paper) have made this more difficult in recent times. In addition, as more local authorities and private companies have become more interested in recycling, the nature of projects undertaking kerbside collections has changed. Smaller scale kerbside schemes will have a high impact in the local community in terms of empowerment and in raising awareness about waste. These smaller projects will need to be complemented by other activities such as training provision or commercial collections to help balance the costs of running the scheme in the long run as it is only the larger scale schemes, which can create new, real jobs, due to economies of scale. New initiatives should check whether the local authority pays recycling credits for domestic waste. ie. The money saved by the council for not having to collect and dispose of the waste by the usual means.

Working in partnership with others, e.g. Local training providers or community development organisations, can be a way of achieving a successful scheme. Larger scale projects ie borough wide operations, will be as a result of the community group competing for and winning a contract from the local authority for recycling services, which then transforms the voluntary group into a fully fledged community business.

Collecting recyclable materials directly from people's homes can achieve a number of aims for a local group:

· It helps to promote recycling directly with the public.

· It can help to raise the profile of your group and build support for your activities.

· It may help you to raise some money.

· It will provide valuable training and work experience activities.

Projects can range from the very small (for example, where newspapers are collected by volunteers and stored in a private garage) to the larger schemes (that employ paid staff, collect a wider range of materials and have a permanent base). Some groups have combined a kerbside collection with operating a local collection centre to which people bring their bulkier wastes at certain fixed times.

What to collect

The most popular materials for kerbside collections are paper, textiles, aluminium and steel cans and foil. It can be possible to collect other materials such as plastics, and increasingly, local groups are becoming involved in community composting schemes that involve collecting vegetable and garden waste from householders.

Deciding what to collect - a checklist:

· Make enquiries among local waste merchants to find out exactly what they are prepared to accept and what they will pay, ask about fluctuation in prices.

 · Shop around for material prices - Materials Recycling Week is a good guide to current prices, and may be available at your local library.

· Check the conditions of the agreement with the merchant. (For example, some merchants will not accept paper with glued edges such as telephone directories).

· Try to arrange for merchants to collect the materials from you, as transport can be expensive and difficult to arrange.

· Research the local waste markets thoroughly before you begin collecting.

· Make sure you know which other groups are collecting wastes locally so that duplication is avoided. Try to co-operate together wherever possible so that the local recycling activities complement each other.

ABOVE ALL, REMEMBER THE GOLDEN RULE: DO NOT COLLECT ANYTHING UNLESS YOU HAVE A MARKET / OUTLET FOR IT.

Organising the collection

Choose an area of manageable size and type. It is always worth starting off small and then growing, rather than taking on too much too soon. Your decision will be shaped in part by the results of your market research; discussions with other recycling projects; the number of employees/volunteers in your team and by the nature of the residential area you have in mind. Always check thoroughly in advance the layout of the area and the detailed location of homes - some houses can be difficult to reach and will delay a collecting team. Ensure that you have reliable transport and adequate storage space.

Always deliver a clearly worded and designed leaflet in advance of your collection explaining:

· Who you are, with a contact address and telephone number and the times you are available.

· What you are collecting and why (and what materials you don't want and why - it is important that new people to a collection scheme know why certain materials can't be collected).

· Which day you will collect (and in what conditions you will not, such as snow).

· How the materials should be packaged.

Monitor your collecting - it is worth setting up a filing system so that you can record complaints, collection problems and other details which can be used to improve your service. Remember that the goodwill of the public is important to you - always act upon complaints promptly and courteously (and don't forget to enjoy the praise when it comes too!).

Organising a collecting team - some basic ground rules:

· Make sure everyone knows his or her task.

· Confirm the date, time and meeting place (ensuring that your rounds do not coincide with council refuse collections).

· Ensure that suitable clothing is worn. In particular, gloves and hi-visibility jackets will be needed.

· Team members and vehicles should display clear identification.

· Always carry first aid equipment and ensure someone in the team is qualified to use it.

· Ensure that appropriate Health & Safety measures have been taken eg. Performing a Risk Assessment on all collection, sorting and processing activities is essential. See the Health & Safety section on page XX for further details.

· Team members must be courteous and reliable: clearing up any spillages; completing a collection round; and telling householders in advance if a collection cannot, for some unavoidable reason, be made at the previously stated time.

· Finally, try to make the collection fun - for everyone. Social events can really help to build a good team spirit - and your customers are bound to notice!

Further information

The Community Recycling Network

2nd Floor, Trelawney House,

Surrey Street,

Bristol, BS2 8PS

Tel : 0117 9420142

Fax : 0117 9080225

E-mail : info@crn.org.uk

For advice on how to set up kerbside schemes, equipment, practice and placing of materials.

Success story : Islington Wastesaver Ltd

Background

IWS has been providing recycling services in Islington since 1994. The company was started as a result of studies made by Islington's voluntary recycling advisory committee, and is constituted as a not-for-profit community group. Members of the management committee are either service users or local residents with an interest in recycling. Currently IWS employs 2 full-time and 7 part-time workers.

Helped by start-up funding from Islington Council, IWS operates a subscription based kerbside scheme, with around 500 subscribers dotted around the borough. In some ways this operates as a 'luxury' service - residents are not required to sort their recycling, and the awkward materials, plastic and cardboard, are collected.

In November 1998, IWS entered into an agreement with Islington Cleansing Services Ltd, (I.C.S.L.), the PFI recently formed to take on the borough's waste contract. The aim is to provide a free borough-wide kerbside scheme by March 2001, covering 40,000 street properties. A pilot area of 3500 households began in February 1999, with weekly collections of four materials. Essentially a three-way partnership, Islington Council provides the collection equipment and boxes, I.C.S.L. manages the bulking and sale of materials, and IWS provides the collection service. The vehicles used are PCV's (electric pavement carts) and a crane service vehicle.

Future plans

IWS hopes to continue working with I.C.S.L. as the free scheme rolls out to cover the whole borough. Eventually this will create up to 20 full-time jobs and as the roll-out happens, their subscription scheme will gradually wind down. The first expansion of the scheme is due to start in November 1999, with a further 3500 households to be included.

IWS would like to see Islington's scheme regarded as good practice, both with regard to efficiency and environmental impact, but also with regard to community involvement.

Provision for housing estates is something IWS is very keen on, and they hope to have a pilot scheme on at least one of the borough's estates before the end of 1999. PCV's will be used on those estates where it is practicable, with some form of static containers on the rest.

IWS also offers a multi-material collection service for local businesses, with fees based on volume and frequency of collection. They hope to considerably expand this scheme during the coming year.

Materials collected

Paper, Glass, Cans, Textiles, Cardboard, Plastic bottles, Aluminium foil, Metal (small items only).

Tonnages

The subscription scheme collects around 200 tonnes per year, tonnages for the free scheme have not yet been collated.

COMMUNITY COLLECTION DEPOTS AND BRING SITES

A number of successful recycling schemes show that people are willing to separate recyclable materials from their domestic waste and deliver them to local collection centres or depots. There are usually bottle and can banks, paper skips, and sometimes containers for other materials such as plastics, textiles and sump oil. Often there are facilities for the collection of bulky household items such as furniture, electrical goods and "jumble."

Collection Centres and Community Depots have a number of advantages:

· They provide a one-stop site for local people to take their waste materials and unwanted items.

· They provide the opportunity for the re-use of unwanted items through "junk swaps."

· They promote a culture of re-use before buying new.

· Large volumes of waste material can be collected at one place.

· Operational costs can be reduced - containers can be emptied mechanically by waste merchants without the need for interim storage facilities.

· They can provide training and skills development opportunities for local people.

· Unwanted furniture and household items can be made available at low cost, helping those on low income.

· The sale of items can generate an income for your group.

Location

Community depots work best when they are conveniently sited close to shops, public car parks or other accessible public areas.

Finding suitable sites, however, can be difficult and requires co-operation from the local authority and local residents. 'Mini-banks' (such as 1100 wheeled Eurobins) are popular containers for materials collected for recycling, especially in areas not accessible to large vehicles.

Sites and depots need to be well maintained to avoid vandalism and to minimise disturbance to residents, and can be made to look inviting and welcoming for the public, eg. by having outdoor sculptures made from re-using junk materials. You will also need to check with the contractor for any site specific details such as overhead wires, turning space etc.

Civic amenity sites are popular locations for collection centres, although these may be inconvenient if they are sited away from people's normal journey patterns, as they often are.

Promotion

Good publicity is vital to encourage people to use collection centres. Greatly increased participation can follow from promotion through the local press, radio and television. The distribution of leaflets, word-of-mouth publicity and the involvement of local groups are all effective in raising public awareness. Celebrate "milestone" tonnages!

Involvement of local groups

There are a number of opportunities that local groups can take to become involved in the setting up and running of community collection depots. Examples include offering to manage recycling banks for the local authority in return for a percentage of the income from the sale of the waste, or by attracting media attention and public support for a depot.

Local authorities have to place contracts for the running of services such as civic amenity sites through competitive tender. Well established local groups could consider tendering for this work, which could be a steady source of income. Readers should note that compulsory competitive tendering (CCT) is being replaced by the Best Value system for the provision of local services. This system will take account of the overall quality of the service delivered, and will not be based only on the cheapest available option.

Success story: Recycling in Ottery (RiO)

Background

RiO was established by a group of people appalled by the amount of good quality items being dumped at the civic amenity skip. A combination of Rural Action, County, District and Town council funding paid for the initial setting up costs, and RiO opened in 1995 as a not-for-profit company, run entirely by volunteers. RiO is run by monthly meetings, where everyone doing four hours voluntary work has a voice in consensus decision making. There are about fifty volunteers and trainees, plus two full time and four part time staff.

Activities/materials

The RiO yard has banks for cans, textiles, bottles, paper and cardboard. Building and plumbing materials including doors, slates, baths are also reclaimed and available for community use. There is a 7 day jumble caravan for clothes, a Bric-a-Brac shack, furniture shed and a tools and bikes area.

RiO also have a high street shop where new from old clothing is sold and furniture is repaired and renovated prior to sale; skills in carpentry and reupholstery are taught informally. The RiO philosophy is that second hand is not second class.

Educational activities and workshops are also part of RiO's work. The Dream Green Players are their theatre in education team, who perform at schools and community shows and events.

Funding

RiO has been financially self-sustaining after the initial setting-up grants. Income is derived from the sale of materials and goods and local authority recycling credits; this covers the costs of rent, rates, wages and overheads. The group are now looking for funding to improve their buildings and equipment.

Tonnages

Figures are only available for the recyclable materials, which are sold to the merchants; about 30 tonnes per year are recycled. This represents about 15% of RiO's total income. The furniture, building salvage and household goods saved from landfill are not weighed.

Future plans

RiO would like to be part of a network of similar schemes; everywhere should have its own community recycling centre.

SCRAPSTORES 

Scrapstores, also known as called "Play and Resource Centres", aim to improve the range and quality of creative and educational play materials that children and young people can use by providing an excellent way for businesses to dispose of their non-toxic waste materials for re-use by the local community. They collect and store a wide variety of safe, non-toxic waste materials donated by factories, large firms, small businesses and public bodies and pass them on to groups in the community concerned with children's play. Children benefit from the many play materials they would not otherwise have been able to use (as they are expensive to buy commercially). Local companies can cut their waste disposal costs (and time) and improve their standing in the community.

Scrapstores, like many other community projects, rely on a range of sources for funding, such as commercial sponsors, local authority and charitable trust grants. A further significant source of funds is found by charging an annual fee to member organisations for their service. Most scrapstores operate a sliding scale system, depending on the size of the member organisation, which can range from a day nursery to a large secondary school.

How they work

The easiest way of tracking down potential donors of suitable waste materials is through an extremely comprehensive database called "Key British Enterprises" produced by Dunn & Bradstreet. It provides names, addresses and telephone numbers of all companies in a given post code district, and will list them by the type of business they carry out. It can be accessed at local business advice centres and at some public libraries.

Alternatively, by researching extensively by telephone through the yellow pages, scrapstore staff can compile a list of local firms who are willing to donate waste materials - anything from buttons to old scenery. It is best to try manufacturers, converters and printers first, as these types of business are often the best source of suitable "waste".

Find out if there is a local Green Business Club in your area, they may also be a good source of information and suitable materials.

The materials are collected (on a pre-arranged date) and taken to the scrapstore premises where they are sorted, checked for safety and put on display. Member groups can then visit and take whatever they need, in the quantities agreed under the membership arrangements. Members can also play an active part in scrapstore management.

Scrapstore membership usually includes local schools, nurseries, playgroups, adventure playgrounds, youth clubs, community centres, groups for children with disabilities and hospitals. It's worthwhile noting here that schools are now required to show how they are using scrap materials in the class room as part of a new monitoring scheme. It's a good idea if anyone interested from the local community can join your scrapstore, there may be community artists for example, who might be particularly keen.

Different scrapstores around the country exchange wastes which they have been able to acquire in large quantities. Most scrapstores also buy in some new play materials (such as paint) in bulk at reduced prices, passing the savings on to their members. Many also offer training in making playthings from waste products - kites and puppets, for example, as well as lending out equipment such as badge makers.

Starting up

You will need to:

· Contact the Waste Watch Wasteline for details of scrapstores in your area. There are also a number of regionally-based networks of scrapstores under development e.g. The YES Scheme in Yorkshire and Humberside.

· Organise a feasibility study to establish need, potential membership, commercial suppliers and catchment area.

· Devise your membership and management structures, and decide on your aims, objectives, and fees.

· Build alliances across all sectors of your community. Anyone from scout groups to Social Services departments can be a potential partner in your project - be open minded about the possibilities.

· Decide your legal identity - you may want to apply for charitable status, which brings certain financial advantages, and/or set up a related trading company.

· Arrange funding - both capital to initiate the project, and revenue to maintain it, including funds for staff and to service transport and premises.

· Don't forget to thank your sponsors - publicly if possible.

Success story : Pennine Magpie

Background

In 1996 an MSc research dissertation, Recycling attitudes and environmental awareness of people living in Calderdale, was completed for Calderdale metropolitan borough council. This led to a proposal to The Groundfloor Project for a new Scrap for Play scheme. Businesses serviced by a private company collecting office waste paper for recycling, Paperworks, would be asked to donate end of line materials that could be sold onto the community via the scrap-store. Pennine Magpie was established in its own right in October 1996 as a not-for-profit voluntary organisation, the management committee being held in The Groundfloor Project.

In 1997 Pennine Magpie won the B&Q facelift competition money (£10,000) which was spent on the complete refurbishment of two large rooms and four store rooms at Chatham Street Day Centre. Scrap for Play was opened for business in October 1997.

During 1999, Pennine Magpie set up the Yorkshire Exchange of Scrap (YES) scheme, a project to facilitate the swapping of materials between all scrap stores in Yorkshire and Humberside (also one in Lincolnshire) by use of a credit scheme; and a static and mobile Play Laboratory in Scrap for Play.

Currently, the organisation employs 5 full time staff, 52 trainees, 10 New Deal (Environment Task Force ) and 18 volunteers.

Aims and objectives

The aim of Pennine Magpie is to create training and employment opportunities for people with a wide range of disabilities (primarily learning difficulties) through re-use, reprocessing and recycling of materials.

Activities and materials collected

Pennine Magpie currently run a horse bedding satellite, a scrap-store, kerbside collection, disposable poop scoops and confidential shredding.

The materials collected include polypropylene, cardboard, horse manure, toner cartridges, tins, aluminium cans and foil and scrap materials for the scrap store which are too numerous to mention.

REPAIR AND RENOVATION: Furniture and domestic electrical appliances.

It is sadly still the case that most of our old and unwanted furniture and electrical goods end up in the scrap-yard or on the local refuse tip. This is also increasingly becoming the case with computers, as the pace of technological change becomes ever faster. In fact, electrical and electronic wastes are now one of Europe's priority waste-streams for diversion from landfill.

Although so much of these "bulky" items end up on the tip, many people on low incomes struggle to raise the cash to furnish their homes, and many local voluntary groups have to use precious funds in order to equip their offices with furniture and computers.

There are now many projects that deal with these issues simultaneously by repairing and renovating unwanted items and passing them on to those in need who may not be able to afford brand new goods or even want to buy new. These projects have a number of benefits:

· They provide furniture and electrical appliances cheaply to those on low incomes, and to local charities.

· They create jobs - often for those disadvantaged in the labour market.

· They provide a range of training opportunities - for skills such as warehousing, upholstery, carpentry, assembly and electrical repair.

· Related areas of environmental concern can be tackled, eg. in the recycling harmful CFC gases from old fridges.

· The sale of renovated furniture promotes the "re-use ethic", emphasising the fact that second hand is not second best

Many schemes are now providing training opportunities through The New Deal Environment Task Force (ETF) or Voluntary Sector Option, often through a partnership arrangement. To find out who the lead contractor for The New Deal is in your area, you should contact your Regional New Deal Team.

Legislation has banned the sale of non-fireproofed foam filled furniture. Although an exemption is in force for groups who supply such furniture on a not-for-profit basis, ambiguity in the drafting of the legislation has meant that interpretation of the regulation is at the discretion of local Trading Standards officers. Make sure you discuss this issue with your local Trading Standards Office before embarking on any new project.

Further information

The Furniture Recycling Network

C/o SOFA

Unit 3

Pilot House

41 King street

Leicester

LE1 6RN

Tel : 0116 2337007

Fax : 0116 2544189

E - mail : FRN@BTINTERNET.COM

The FRN is run on a voluntary basis by its own members, publishes a newsletter and holds an annual conference. It is the co-ordinating body for furniture recycling projects across the UK who collect a range of household items to pass on to people in need.

Success story : SOFA (Leicester)

Background

SOFA started off with a cattle market shed in 1993. Now SOFA occupies premises with 10,000 square feet of warehouse and office space.

In 1989 the project changed its objectives to include the training of unemployed people as volunteers. This has proved a crucial move that has secured funding.

Status

SOFA (Suppliers of Furniture and Accessories) is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee improving the employment prospects for volunteers who provide a furniture recycling service to the community of Leicestershire.

Funding

SOFA received Service Level Agreement funding from the city and county councils of Leicester. 20% of the total project expenditure is met from income from sales of furniture, which enables SOFA to keep prices at a nominal level - according to the client groups ability to pay. Ad hoc developments are funded by ESF and the national lottery.

Activities

A furniture recycling service handling over 8000 items of furniture each year, helping 2200 families and individuals in hardship. There is a referral system to SOFA by Social Services, Housing, Health visitors and other key help agencies in the city.

An electrical appliance workshop built in 1997 ensures the safety of electrical goods passed on to clients. The workshop has also developed into a training area where local college students are now gaining valuable placement practice towards an NVQ.

Modern offices provide an ideal opportunity for volunteers to gain a range of clerical and administrative skills. SOFA staff are qualified as trainers to ensure optimum value is given. The result is that over 50% of volunteers leaving SOFA, go on to paid employment. This target has been consistently achieved over the past 10 years. SOFA has on average 30 volunteers attending each week on a part-time rota.

COMPOSTING

One of the largest elements of our domestic waste stream is organic material. Primarily kitchen and garden material, this can represent between 30 - 50 % of our domestic waste, which could under suitable conditions be broken down to produce compost. Fruit and vegetable peelings, tea bags, crushed egg shells, paper bags and tissues can all be converted to compost by those with gardens, and even those without gardens can now produce compost using small worm composters ( or wormeries) that use tiger worms to speed up the breakdown of kitchen waste. Garden waste such as leaves, annual weeds, grass clippings, prunings and trimmings can be added to kitchen waste, as well as shredded newspaper and cardboard. Composting is a better option than burning for garden waste, as bonfires cause air pollution.

There has been a significant growth in the number of local authorities and community groups involved in developing composting schemes. This is set to grow more in the future as the full impact of the recently adopted EU Directive on landfill is felt. This effectively bans the landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste, which includes kitchen and garden waste, paper and wood. Home and community based composting schemes can play an important role in helping the Government to achieve it's goals of 25% recycling or composting of household waste by 2005, and would also reduce the problems of methane production and toxic leachates at landfill sites. Methane is an explosive gas and also a major contributor to the greenhouse effect. Compost is also an alternative to peat, which if used more widely, would reduce the threat to important natural bog land from peat cutting to produce garden products such as grow-bags. It's worth noting also that organic waste is heavy, and can therefore cost in terms of transport and landfill tax!

Composting and local authorities

A number of local authorities have now set up schemes for the collection of organic material for composting. Authorities such as Leeds City Council and the London Borough of Sutton have well developed schemes. These large scale green waste schemes often produce a compost, which is sold locally.

Community composting

Community groups in both rural and urban areas have started their own composting initiatives. Urban projects have tended to be connected to allotments, city farms or community centres. WyeCycle in Kent and Proper Job in Devon both collect organic waste from householders for composting at a central site. Other successful community composting schemes such as Seagull in Skegness and The Recycling Consortium's Community Waste Action projects in the Bristol and South Gloucestershire areas, similarly share strong local support from the community. Not everyone is able to produce compost themselves, and banding together enables more people to be involved in the collections as well as enjoying the fruits of the labour - good compost, locally produced for local use. Many groups "close the loop" by using the compost to grow organic produce locally, which can then be sold to raise an additional income. Community composting groups in Devon have even formed their own network, with a part-time worker to support their efforts. Similarly, The Recycling Consortium's neighbourhood based Community Waste Action projects have led to the development of a network of neighbourhood activities in the Bristol and South Gloucestershire areas, again, supported by development workers. Lots of potential exists to set up similar schemes around the country. Why not gauge interest in your idea by organising a trial shredding session for garden waste?

Licensing

The Waste Management Licensing Regulations (1994), Paragraph 12, Schedule 3, is the part of legislation affecting community composters (who are referred to as "third party" composters by the DETR and the Environment Agency.) It requires that certain composting activities be licensed, the license fee being about £800 per year, a cost which is far too high for community composters to afford. However, there are certain conditions which apply for exemption from licensing, and these are currently under review. It is important that you consult the Environment Agency about your plans before you start, as they are likely to want to do a Risk Assessment inspection of your site to make sure that there are no hazards to health. The positioning of your site is critical. Ask to speak to your Groundwater Representative at your local Environment Agency office to find out whether your planned site will be affecting any groundwater supplies.

Further information

Community Composting Network

67 Alexandra Road

Sheffield

S2 3EE

Tel / Fax : 0114 2580483

E-mail : heeleyfarm@gn.apc.org

Website : www.chiron-s.co.uk/ccn/index.html

Community Waste Action

C/o The Recycling Consortium

The Create Centre

Smeaton Road

Bristol

BS1 6XN

Tel : 0117 930 4355

Fax : 0117 929 7283

E-mail : brisrc@brisrc.demon.co.uk

The Composting Association

C/o Ryton Organic garden

Coventry

CV8 3LG

Tel : 01203 303517

Devon Community Composting Network

Catherine Cottage

8 Meldon Road

Chagford

Devon

TQ13 8BG

Tel : 01647 433148

E- mail : nicompost@aol.com

Website : www.chiron-s.demon.co.uk/dccn/index

The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens

The Greenhouse

Hereford street

Bedminster

Bristol

BS3 4NA

Tel : 0117 923 1800

Fax : 0117 923 1900

E-mail : farmgarden@btinternet.com

Henry Doubleday Research Association

National Centre for Organic Gardening

Ryton-on-Dunsmore

Coventry

CV8 3LG

Tel : 01203 303517

Fax : 01203 639229

E-mail :

Website : www.hdra.org.uk

The Soil Association

Bristol House

40-56 Victoria Street

Bristol

BS1 6BY

Tel : 0117 929 0661

Fax : 0117 925 2504

E-mail : info@soilassociation.org

Website : www.soilassociation.org

The Wildlife Trusts

The Kiln

Waterside

Mather road

Newark

NG24 1WT

Tel : 01636 677711

Fax : 01636 670001

E-mail : enquiry@wildlife-trusts.cix.co.uk

Website : www.wildlifetrust.org.uk

Success story : Proper Job Co-operative Ltd

Background

Supported by local authorities and Rural Action, Chagford Community Composting project began in 1993 in response to a shared concern about the amount of green waste (and other valuable resources) being burnt or going to landfill. Proper Job evolved out of this initial, voluntary project, when a founder member attended a Women Mean Business course run by the local co-operative development agency and produced a business plan, outlining the expansion of activities through the introduction of organic growing and a community café and shop. Today, Proper Job Co-operative is a registered community business based on waste management and recycling initiatives and provides employment for 16 local people.

Development

The first phase of development was the establishment of a multi-purpose site to serve as a focus for the existing and planned activities, including composting, organic growing, recycling and re-use and training.

Leaflets were distributed to attract local support and initial meetings were held in members' houses. The local authority and community council were approached about the possibility of funding. The adoption of a formal legal status enabled the co-operative to apply for funding to the Rural Development Commission (RDC) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), as well as local authorities.

However, the multi-purpose site became the last phase of development in the end, as a combination of delays in leasing a site and the offer of a shop premises, centrally located in the community, prompted the founder members to rethink their original plans, and give their last phase top priority. The Courtyard Café was opened in September 1995.

Partnerships

The partners include a variety of local organisations, such as Chagford Allotment Holders Association, North East Dartmoor LETS Scheme, the parish council, West Devon Borough Council, the Community Council of Devon, Devon Co-Operative Development Agency (CDA) and the Devon Joint County/District Recycling Committee.

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