The Newcastle group has become the 11th wood recycling project in the country to open under the guidance of the NCWRP's founding group the Brighton & Hove Wood Recycling Project.
” We are creating sustainable jobs and training for individuals who are marginalised from society.“
– Richard Mehmed, NCWRP
The not-for-profit groups specialise in providing skips for construction and demolition companies to have their waste wood taken away at a lower cost than regular skip disposal.
Wood is then sorted into three quality grades ready for re-sale. As well as helping reduce waste, the projects aim to provide jobs and volunteering opportunities.
The organisation now has members in London, Bromley, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, North Wales, South Wales, Cambridge, Newcastle and the Isle of Wight. It said another 10 projects look set to open within the next 18 months, while hopes are that as many as 50 groups could be operating within five years.
Richard Mehmed, who founded the Brighton & Hove group in 1998 and the NCWRP in 2003, said: “We are creating sustainable jobs and training for individuals who are marginalised from society, be it through personal setbacks, mental health issues, illness or substance abuse. This is a way of getting their self-esteem back on track.”
Finance
While the NCWRP is reliant on a three-year 89,910 grant from the Esmee Fairburn Foundation, the organisation aims to set up projects that will become financially self-supporting through collection charges and retail sales. Mr Mehmed explained: “That's why the model is so robust. Their future is not dependent on funds running out before the next grant is signed off.”
| Related links: |
The Brighton & Hove Wood Recycling Project currently diverts up to 5,000 tonnes of wood from landfill each year, and Mr Mehmed believes NCWRP members could soon be diverting up to 50,000 tonnes a year from landfill.
Last month saw the organisation signing an agreement with Warings Contractors Ltd to take wood from the company's construction projects in West Sussex. The agreement could be the first of many, the NCWRP hopes.
Subscribe for free