Community Recycling Cleans Up

The Resource Awards have taken place at this year's Community Recycling Network conference, held in Birmingham.

The awards recognised the best in community recycling schemes across the UK. For the first time, they included the Biffa Climate Conscious Award, the Novelis Partnership Award and the Marks and Spencer Community Recycling Project of the Year, each named in recognition of this year's three sponsors.

The awards, made from recycled glass, were given to three winners alongside a cheque for £2,500 each. Rotters Community Composting won project of the year for diverting 3,000 tonnes of waste from landfill annually, and in recognition of their work with long term unemployed volunteers. Wessex Independent Self Help (WISH) was presented with the Partnership Award for their commitment to taking on a wide range of materials to divert from landfill and their involvement of disabled volunteers. The Climate Conscious Award was given to Friends of St Nicolas Fields for their kerbside recycling scheme based in York, which collects from over 4,500 households and is set to expand. The group's Project Coordinator, John Brierley, commented: " We are absolutely delighted to receive this award. Our key aims with the project have been to keep it local and community-based, and to get as close to zero carbon emissions as we can feasibly achieve. It is fantastic to now receive national recognition for these achievements."

Finally, Craig Anderson from the Furniture Reuse Network (FRN) was presented with an Individual Achievement Award. This was in recognition of his work lobbying for the inclusion of re-use in the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.

Carolyn Cross, Editor of Resource Magazine, said: "Thanks to our sponsors, we were delighted to be able to offer a total of £7,500 to community projects, and adding the new categories really highlighted the innovation that is going on in the sector. This year's winners were exceptional, all servicing an impressive number of households, diverting high tonnages from landfill, educating the public and adding value to their communities through work with volunteers and disadvantaged groups. Most impressive of all, however, was the level of innovation and imagination with which they go about their work."