Yorkshire & the Humber has a unique mixture of community organisations involved in waste education, reuse, recycling and composting. Gritty determination in the face of adversity and historically strongly bonded communities – for example round the coal mining areas of South Yorkshire – have seen some resilient and flexible projects set up. Particularly strong features in the Region include community based domestic kerbside recycling programmes, furniture reuse organisations successfully diversifying their operations and a network of IT reuse organisations. Future activities include further coordination of a wider range of support made available to these organisations than ever before.
The North West Community Waste Network is the regional voice for the community-based recycling and sustainable waste management sector. The network runs a number of projects and local area and material specific networks.
Managed by CRN UK the network was developed in partnership with the Community Composting Network and Furniture Re-use Network as part of the Community Sector Support Programme.
A directory of local groups is available from the website – www.nwcwn.org.uk.
Community Waste Network East has been helping the community waste sector since 2005 and has had a number of achievements including writing and distributing the Corrner monthly e-bulletin; running a training centre providing certified training through the Chartered Insitute of Wastes Management and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health; managing the regional Resource Saver project to help businesses reduce their waste and help the community sector. More information about Resource Saver can be seen on: www.resourcesaver.org.uk. We support the community waste sector in the East through targeted business support to help them grow and improve.
The South West CRN had been an informal network for sometime and this was developed through the Regional Development Programme, part of the wider Community Sector Support Programme funded by Defra.
Although the network could not attract any continuation funding it was successful in mapping the sector in the South West and produced a directory of the sector. It ran a number of networking events and supported the work of groups and local authorities.
The North East has an informal network which has produced a directory of all the groups involved in recycling, re-use and waste minimisation in the region.
Whilst there is currently no formal network in the East Midlands – as part of the Regional Development programme the CRN UK, CCN and FRN ran stakeholder days for groups in the region.
Whilst there is currently no formal network in the West Midlands – as part of the Regional Development programme the CRN UK, CCN and FRN ran stakeholder days for groups in the region.
Whilst there is currently no formal network in the South East – as part of the Regional Development programme the CRN UK, CCN and FRN ran stakeholder days for groups in the region.