UPDATES

GENERAL UPDATES

Real Recycling Campaign recycling collection hierarchy
The Campaign for Real Recycling launched its recycling collection hierarchy at the Local Government Association annual conference in Bournemouth.

The hierarchy represents what the campaign members objectively find to be the most sustainable and cost effective methods of collecting recyclable materials. The ‘best’ and most preferable method as far as maintaining the quality of materials collected is kerbside source separated. The worst approach is what is commonly referred to as the “survival bag”, where a mix of recyclable materials are placed in a single bag that is collected in the same time at the same time as normal household waste (black bags).

http://www.realrecycling.org.uk/CRR_Collection_Hierarchy.pdf

Local Area Agreements (LAAs)
Local Area Agreements (LAAs) set out the priorities for a local area agreed between central government and a local area (the local authority and Local Strategic Partnership) and other key partners at the local level. To see what the agreed priorities are in your area visit:

http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=8399555

Launch of REconomy CIC & The Capacity Building Programme
The CRN UK & London CRN Conference also saw the launch of REconomy CIC.

The principal networks supporting third sector organisations concerned with reuse, recycling, compost and waste minimisation have created a new community interest company (CIC) in order to work together more effectively across England. 

The Community Recycling Network UK, The Furniture Re-use Network, Community Composting Network, and London Community Recycling Network own equal shares of REconomy CIC and the new team will be drawn from all four networks, based in Bristol, Sheffield, London and the regions. Each network will continue with its own work, and the new company will be the vehicle for closer working where appropriate.

REconomy CIC will enable the individual networks to maximise the resources they bring to members and that they in turn offer their communities. REconomy CIC will provide a stronger, more coherent voice in dealings with Government, industry and other partners.

REconomy CIC will provide representation, development support, guidance and information for voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations working to manage resources sustainably.

WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) is working in partnership with REconomy CIC to deliver a new programme to increase the Third Sector’s capacity to operate in the waste and recycling sector in England. The Capacity Building Programme has five complementary strands of activity intended to improve the capacity of third sector organisations:

Organisational Development
Market development
Networking & Training
Investment for Growth
Projects

Within each strand, third sector organisations can access support tailored to their own needs and fitting their development goals.

To register your interest through REconomy visit: http://www.reconomy.org.uk/node/add/tellus
Fill in your details & current activity. In the ‘Impact’ section tick the box/s that your proposal will relate to & then click the type of assistance you require in the ‘Intervention’ box. ‘Additional notes’ is for describing your requirements.

Is your project on YouTube?
Have you made a film of your project or promoted your work on YouTube? If so we would like to know about it and feature your project on the CRN UK website. We are keen to showcase the work of the sector and due to the increased interest in video clips as a means to promotion we have created a page on the CRN website in order to document members’ videos.

Please email info@crn.org.uk with any links and details of your video clip.

http://www.crn.org.uk/membership/casestudies.shtml

The Composting Association name change
The Composting Association will be changing its name to The Association for Organics Recycling from the 1 August 2008

This change reflects their response to and evolution of the changing nature of waste management and reinforces their role as the leading UK organisation in raising awareness of the benefits of recycling biodegradable resources.

Accreditation to recognise volunteers' skills
A Europe-wide accreditation scheme for environmental volunteers will be launched in September. The Environments for Learning programme is based on the European Qualification Framework and will provide a way of recognising and assessing skills and knowledge that volunteers learn informally through volunteering.

The programme is being developed by UK environmental volunteering charity BTCV and six partner organisations from across Europe. It will allow skills learned through volunteering in one country to be recognised in another.

Feasibility Study on Building Material Reuse Centres
Any organisations interested in translating the US concept of Building Material Reuse Centres to the UK can download new UK-focused business planning documents at www.bioregional-reclaimed.com/get_report.php including

• A Generic Business Plan which is intended as a template to be developed by individual projects
• A costed financial model based on the operational costs of existing UK based reuse organisations
• Guidance appendices providing case studies and covering essential issues.

Interested organisations will also need to undertake a detailed site-specific feasibility study to establish the local potential supply of materials, demand for sales and costs of operation.

Compost Doctors

The Compost Doctors have been providing on-site composting advice for businesses for the past two years funded by the BREW programme. Although the funding for the Compost Doctors pilot project has come to an end we are continuing to develop the programme and provide a consultancy for businesses and the public sector on on-site composting.

The past two years of funding for the programme has given the Compost Doctors an opportunity to compare and work with various composting techniques and equipment, and to share experiences of working with businesses. This has given the Doctors unique expertise and knowledge of available composting equipment and we hope to share this further within the sector.

The CRN UK in partnership with the Community Composting Network are managing the development of the Compost Doctors project and we are interested to hear from any composting experts who would like to be contacted should an opportunity arise in your area.

Contact: Lizzy, email compostdoctors@crn.org.uk

If you hold an exemption from WML, then from 6 April 2008, you will instead be exempt from environmental permitting. There are some changes, for example to paragraph numbers and to the regulation of hazardous wastes.

Other changes include:

• You will be able to apply for an environmental permit online, later in the year.  
• There will be a dedicated team to deal with all environmental permit applications
• There will be 27 standard permits for low to medium-risk waste activities. These permits will be cheaper to apply for, and we will be issued within three months.
• A single permit could cover all the relevant activities on your site.
• If you're a waste operator, you will soon be able to choose how you prove your technical competence.

If you hold a Waste Management Licence, your new Environmental Permit will give you more options. These include:

• Extending the area of land covered by your permit
• Surrendering your permit using a simpler process
• Surrendering or transferring part of your permit

Ensure your organisation is updated on all the changes, National Customer Contact Centre 08708 506 506 (Monday- Friday, 8am-6pm); email: enquires@environment-agency.gov.uk or visit

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/
1970146/1970198/1970207/

CRN UK Website Case Studies
At CRN UK we are always keen to know about your great work, innovative projects and examples of the way you run your organisation. We would like to have some new & up to date case studies on the CRN UK website to provide inspiration to potential groups and to keep you informed of what other members are doing.

If you would be interested in sharing this information with visitors to the website, or if you don’t have a website of your own and would like to have a page dedicated to your organisation, please complete the form available on this link: www.crn.org.uk/about/casestudyrequestform.doc and email it to Lizzy at info@crn.org.uk.

We look forward to learning what you are doing.

MEMBER QUESTIONS

Bin lift Truck

Monmouthshire Community Recycling are looking to buy a second hand compartmentalised binlift truck with capacity for at least three materials presented in 1100 litre bins.  Do you have a vehicle like this for sale?

Contact: David Roman 01291 430550 davidroman@monrecycling.co.uk