The “12 million Partnership Challenge” will see sustainable waste management projects in Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest being awarded funds if they form partnerships with private firms and borough councils.
Some of the money will come from the National Lottery under the Community Recycling and Economic Development programme setup by the New Opportunity Fund (see letsrecycle.com story). To be successful, recycling projects will have to bring private match funds to the table.
The North London Recycling Forum, an organisation supported by LondonWaste, the North London Waste Authority and the London Community Recycling Network, is holding a meeting on May 29 2003 to begin the process. As well as outlining the current state of recycling in North London, the event will be a chance for community recyclers to meet with potential partners and discuss key ingredients for successful partnerships.
Commenting on the new fund, Austin Willett, general manager for Restore Community Projects and chair of the North London Recycling Forum, said: “We’re encouraging community groups to get together with local authorities and possibly the private sector and see what ideas they come up with. We want to bring people together to bounce a few ideas around.”
He explained that the scheme is open to any community group which is not for profit, involved in recycling, re-use or waste minimisation: “We have no preconceived ideas about the possible schemes. It can be anything from a small scale local composting group to a large body like ECT recycling.”
The North London Recycling Forum meeting is to be held on May 29 2003, at the London Voluntary Sector Resource Centre, London N7. For more information or to book limited places, contact Wendy Lord via email at: wendy.lord@londonwaste.co.uk no later than Friday 9th May 2003.
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