Community recyclers Croydon ARC (Appliance Re-use Centre) plans to set up a long-term furniture and white goods re-use scheme. And, the East London Community Partnership will use its grant to fund a three-month door-to-door recycling collection service for residents on Shoreditch estates.
Croydon ARC has been granted 639,000 from the Fund for two years, after which it hopes to become self-sufficient through the sale of second hand goods and scrap materials.
The community re-use scheme is currently looking for suitable premises to store and repair donated goods, which will then be sold on to those in need through the group's work with social services and local charities.
Croydon councillor Gerry Ryan emphasised both the social and environmental benefits of the scheme. “Schemes like this enable people to pass on unwanted but still useful household items in the knowledge that they are not simply being destroyed and sent to landfill sites but are benefiting other needy people in the community,” he said.
The project aims to redistribute 8,000 items each year and divert up to 1,800 tonnes of waste from landfill. It should also provide training opportunities for 20 people.
Assistance in securing funding for the project came from the Furniture Reuse Network and the London Community Recycling Network through its Building Partnerships programme.
Sophie Dackombe, project assistant at London CRN, said: “Through Building Partnerships we have been able to successfully assist the strategic development of partnerships between local authorities and community groups to work together in enhancing sustainable waste minimisation across London.”
Hackney
London Recycling Fund has also given 321,480 to a three-month project in Hackney to fund a weekly kerbside collection scheme aimed at promoting existing recycling services on estates.
The East London Community Recycling Partnership will be working with Hackney council, ECT and Shoreditch Our Way to deliver the service to estates in Shoreditch. Hackney council has introduced 360 recycling banks to its estates over the past year to collect paper, glass and cans. It now hopes this service will help make recycling these materials “everyday routine” for the residents through this new service.
Hackney councillor Jessica Crowe, deputy mayor and cabinet member for environment, said: “This three month scheme is an excellent opportunity for estate residents to start recycling. The door-to-door collections will remind residents about the recycling facilities on their estate.”
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