Defra is to launch a three-year strategy to improve the way it handles data on waste management.
The Department launched a consultation on the strategy today, setting out proposals for what it said will deliver “more accurate, complete, timely and consistent data on all types of waste”.
One of the “major barriers” to improving the way England manages 400 million tonnes of waste each year is the “lack of good quality data” on waste quantities, composition, growth rates, impacts and the capacity of the waste sector to management, Defra said.
Environment minister Elliot Morley said: “Major advancements can be made in our collective management of all waste streams if we have better evidence and greater understanding of the challenges.”
The three-month consultation proposes new arrangements for data collection “based on common standards and definitions”, stored in a “central data storehouse” with access via the internet.
A full copy of the consultation is available at the Defra website.
CRED fund issues deadline warning to community groups
The Community Recycling and Economic Development (CRED) programme has reminded community recyclers that time is running out for funding.
Managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, the CRED Programme is the distributor of national lottery funding for community recycling and re-use groups.
Because the fund closes at the end of 2007 and applications take time to process, community projects can no longer gain three-year funding periods.
A CRED spokeswoman said: “Even if a project applies now to the fund, it will not have a start date until May 2005. In other words, the maximum grant available under the CRED Programme is now two years six months.”
More information on the programme is available at the RSWT website.
Consultant launches website on local authority recycling
A website listing the recycling activities of local authorities in Britain has been launched by consultant Jennie Rogers.
The site, Askjennie.com, currently has details on about half of English councils, gathered over the last four years as Ms Rogers conducted research work that has been used in a number of studies by consultants in the field.
Information on the councils includes the kind of collections provided and the number of households served, but can only be accessed by local authority officers that register.
Ms Rogers said she plans to develop the website further with new sections highlighting problems councils are facing such as concerns over charging for green waste collections.
She said: “Now, more than ever, the introduction of recycling programmes is in a constant state of change with new schemes, additional households serviced and new materials added to existing kerbside collections.”
CRNS assists Scottish Executive on community recycling grant scheme
The Community Recycling Network Scotland is to play a “pivotal” role in a new 5 million investment fund for the sector, it has said.
The INCREASE programme is to be set up by the Scottish Executive to support community-based recycling, re-use, composting and waste reduction projects in Scotland.
Based in Stirling, the CRNS was set up by the Recycling Advisory Group for Scotland in 2002 – funded by the Executive – before turning independent in April this year. With a membership of 50, the organisation announced this week that it has appointed Iain Gulland as its network director.
Mr Gulland, who previously worked with Alloa Community Enterprises and the Recycling Advisory Group for Scotland (RAGS) will head up a team of development officers and support staff.
Kenny Green, the CRNS Chair, said: “Iain will provide a welcome degree of dynamism to help the organisation meet its full potential as quickly as possible.”
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