At its annual conference, held this month at the University of Keele, the Association presented a special award to Torbay council for its support of local charity shops. The 'Most Supportive Local Authority (Recycling & Reuse)' award went to the council's environmental services department because it removed weighbridge charges, rubbish disposal charges and provided recycling credits for charity shops.
Nominations for the award were invited from all charities running shops, who felt their local authority had been working with them to promote and acknowledge their role in re-use and recycling. Examples of nominations this year included the payment of recycling credits and waste disposal cost concessions and innovative ways of assisting charity shop operations, many of whom provide vital services for the local community.
Andy Doran, chairman of the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee and one of the judging panel, said, “The nominations reflected a genuine relationship between the authorities and local charity shops, and provided a clear example of the contribution shops can make to recycling targets.”
Torbay council was nominated by Richard Charlton Taylor of the Rowcroft Hospice, one of the largest hospices in the South West which provides care for people with advancing terminal illnesses and support for their families. Funding for the Hospice comes from the local health authority and the Hospice's network of ten charity shops in South Devon. The council has been working with the Hospice for three and a half years, and has recently been advising on kitchen, garden waste and paper recycling.
Commenting on the award, Torbay recycling officer Carol Arthur said: “Every local authority should work with its charity shops – after all, we are pulling in the same direction and together, we can go on recycling and reusing more. Torbay is extremely proud to have won this award.”
Selling mainly donated goods, charity shops recycle and re-use over 100,000 tonnes of textiles every year as well as other items including books, toys and unwanted homewares. By undertaking house-to-house collections charity shops can remove some of the collection and disposal costs local authorities face, providing another avenue through which the public may ensure that unwanted materials enter the re-use and recycling chain.
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