Scottish Executive awards 1.7m for community recycling

The funding, from the Scotland's Strategic Waste Fund, will go to groups recycling of glass, plastic, paper, wood and cans. Money will also go to encourage computer refurbishment, community composting, and waste educational initiatives.

Commenting on the awards, Scotland's environment minister, Ross Finnie, said: “The Executive recognises the important role of the community sector in helping Scotland become a less wasteful society. By using innovative ideas there are many opportunities for items which would otherwise be regarded as waste to have a new lease of life.”

The Scottish Executive said it is to provide a further 5 million for new and existing community sector projects in the next two years.

The projects awarded money in this round included a new kerbside collection service for 61,000 households in Falkirk to be run by BTCV Scotland; a new recycling service for Kintyre which aims to recycle 2 million plastic bottles.

The funding has been awarded as follows:

• Lochaber Environment Group – 21,072 – community composting
• BTCV Scotland – 119,279 – waste awareness, kerbside collection in Falkirk
• Moray Voluntary Services Organisation – 47,407 – computer refurbishment
• Lothian and Edinburgh Environmental Partnership – 212,461 – waste awareness projects
• Lochpark Challenge – 39,400 – wood recycling in Moray
• Homebasics (Tweeddale) – 24,000 – furniture and electronics reuse
• Coach House Trust – 200,000 – community composting, wood recycling, waste awareness projects
• Shetland Amenity Trust – 20,876 – waste awareness, agricultural plastics recycling
• Greenlight Recycling – 491,398 – Kerbside recycling collections, composting, trade waste collections, commercial glass collections
• Dun Beag Community Composting Scheme – 12,000 – community composting
• Re-Jig (Recycle Islay and Jura Group) – 33,126 – Kerbside recycling collections
• The GRAB Trust, Argyll and Bute – 51,000 – waste awareness work
• Campbeltown Waste Watchers – 120,000 – plastic bottle recycling, kerbside recycling collections
• Four Square Scotland – Edinburgh Furniture Initiative – 26,920.77 – furniture and electronics reuse, waste awareness
• LAMH Recycle Limited – 52,015.80 – Can recycling, computer recycling
• Moray Waste Busters – 23,098 – composting of kitchen waste
• Grangemouth Enterprises – 38,200 – computer and white goods recycling
• Sustainable Technologies Information and Research Network – 36,958 – manufacture of home composters from waste wood
• The Wise Group – 68,365 – waste awareness in schools
• Berwickshire Community Councils’ Forum Environmental Group – 20,588 – waste awareness project.

Mr Finnie said: “Many of these initiatives receiving funding will not only benefit the environment but will also provide employment and training opportunities and also provide refurbished goods to socially disadvantaged people.”