About the organisation

The Community Recycling Network UK is the national umbrella organisation for community-based, not-for-profit and co-operative waste management groups which work in reduction, re-use and recycling.

The CRN helps its members by:
· co-ordinating networks for groups to share information and ideas
· organising events to bring people together
· offering advice for members to develop operations and infrastructure
· lobbying decision-makers
· providing advice, training, information and support
· publishing The Waste Paper e-zine and Members Newsletter

Our aim
The CRN UK is the national voice for community-based recycling and waste reduction. It promotes community-based sustainable waste management as a practical and effective way of tackling the UK's growing waste problem. Waste is a valuable resource that can offer enormous opportunities for regeneration in deprived communities as well as helping build the social economy through providing jobs and training for the long-term unemployed and people with special needs. These successful community level social projects form the third sector of sustainable waste management.

Our members
The CRN UK has approximately 400 Full Members and Associates. The majority are involved in not-for-profit, community-based waste minimisation, re-use and recycling schemes which range from one-person village operations to large, not-for-profit kerbside collection services covering major cities. CRN members working in partnership with local authorities - including Beacon Councils - and waste management companies have achieved some of the highest recycling rates in the UK and offer separated kerbside recycling collections to approaching 3 million households. Full membership is available to not-for-profit organisations involved in sustainable waste management. Association is available to local authorities and businesses working with or providing a service to members.

Full Members' activities include:
· multi-material kerbside collection schemes, (including kitchen and garden waste collection schemes)
· commercial waste collections,
· civic amenity site management,
· waste reduction, refill and re-use,
· material sorting and processing,
· education, information and advice,
· scrapstores and waste exchanges,
· community composting,
· furniture (including WEEE & electrical appliance refurbishement)
· wood recycling,
· public and special event waste management,
· recycling banks/bring sites,
· re>paint schemes,
· waste auditing/analysis,
· market development for recyclables,
· SME support and development,
· real nappy campaigns

CRN UK activities

Lobbying
The CRN UK plays an important role in consultations on national, regional and local waste strategies and comments regularly on government policy and strategy documents.

Events
The CRN UK Annual Conference is a major event in the community waste sector calendar. Members and Associates have the opportunity to network with like-minded organisations, commercial waste management companies and local authorities. A series of one day seminars and training events are also held throughout the year.

Member Services Team
The Member Services Team provides CRN UK members with support, advice, information and access to the wide range of knowledge within the network. The CRN directory and searchable web-based database provide information on Member groups, Associates and regional waste networks.

Information resource
The CRN provides advice, information and access to the wide range of knowledge within the network. The CRN directory provides information on Member groups, Associates and regional waste networks. A regular newsletter is also emailed to all Full Members, keeping them updated with CRN news.

Magazine
CRN UK's e-zine The Waste Paper is a monthly publication for Members, Associates and organisations that have expressed an interest in the community waste sector. It includes regular interviews with leading figures in the sustainable waste industry; features looking at collection and treatment technologies, procurement, health and safety, finance, as well as issue of general interest to anyone in the community waste sector; profiles of individual projects; reviews of relevant books and websites. Click here to find out more

Website
The CRN website provides a wealth of information about the organisation, Member groups, and Associates as well as interesting news and views. www.crn.org.uk

Data collection
Measure Your Treasure aims to develop an accurate and standardised system of data collection for the community waste sector that can be verified and accepted by external organisations.

Regional networks
The CRN has links throughout the UK with regional community recycling and waste minimisation networks. Through the Defra Funded Community Sector Support Programme 3 English regions now have Development Workers. For more information about other community waste networks in the UK please click here.

Links with other organisations and programmes:

Furniture Re-use Network (FRN)
The FRN provides information, training and support to furniture recycling and re-use projects. Network members also work to alleviate need and social hardship through their activities. www.frn.org.uk

Community Composting Network (CCN)
The CCN's purpose is to encourage community and home composting nationally. It is an umbrella body for more than 150 groups across the UK, encouraging and facilitating the exchange of ideas and information. www.communitycompost.org

Memoranda of understanding
The CRN has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Local Government Association (LGA) and also one with the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC).

International Links

Rre-use
The CRN is a founder member of the Resources and Recycling in the European Union Social Economy. This is a network of networks across eight European countries, meeting to exchange information and work together on EU policy matters and funding. http://www.rreuse.at

Zero Waste
The CRN has adopted a policy of Zero Waste and works with a number of organisations internationally in pursuit of this goal.