COMMUNITY RECYCLING NETWORK FOR SCOTLAND (CRNS)

NEWS RELEASE

27 November, 2008

TOP SCOTTISH COMMUNITY RECYCLING ORGANISATIONS TO BE HONOURED

The social, economical and environmental benefits of community recycling were underlined today (November 26), as the search to find the best organisations in the sector got underway.

The Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS) 3rd Annual Awards, which recognise and reward those organisations which have made the biggest impact to local communities across Scotland in the past year, were launched as figures showed that this sector now accounts for an annual turnover in excess of £26 million – an increase of more than 20% over the previous 12 months.

This year’s awards were launched by CRNS Event Coordinator Joyce Walsh, and John Ferguson, Waste and Resource Unit Manager from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA). The launch took place at SEPA’s corporate HQ in Stirling.

SEPA are one of the sponsors of this year’s awards ceremony, alongside principal sponsors The Co-operative Membership. Other sponsors include The Yellow Pages Directory Recycling Scheme, Triodos Bank, Social Investment Scotland, Aylesford Newsprint and aluminium can recycler Novelis.

Novelis were responsible for producing the metallic trophy displayed at today’s launch, which is manufactured entirely from recycled aluminium cans.

The CRNS Annual Awards ceremony will take place on 11 March, 2008 at Perth Concert Hall.

SEPA’s John Ferguson commented: “SEPA believes the community sector has a significant role to play in moving towards a zero waste society, particularly through the promotion of waste prevention and reuse and in the areas of education and training.

“This is the second year that we have sponsored the CRNS Innovation Award, because we believe it encourages fresh ideas and new ways of working across the community network.”

Community recycling is a grassroots movement undertaken by a wide array of organisations to deliver social, economic and environmental benefits for their local communities. The scale and delivery of projects can vary, from those led by large social enterprises and third sector organisations to smaller, less formalised projects led by local volunteers.

CRNS is a membership organisation for community recyclers in Scotland, providing information and support to existing and emerging projects. It exists to build a stronger community recycling sector in Scotland which can create real social, environmental and economic benefit within our local communities.

CRNS’s Joyce Walsh said: “Community recycling provides an increasingly important role in many people’s lives, complementing traditional recycling by diverting materials from landfill, reusing and minimising waste, as well as delivering a range of social and economic benefits to local communities across Scotland.

“Often working in partnership with local authorities and other stakeholders, community recycling organisations treat waste materials as a valuable resource that can be reused or sold to provide income for various activities.

“The sector employs over 1,100 people nationally, as well as offering another 950 training places and providing 3,200 volunteer opportunities. Additionally, 68,000 people are supported, mainly through the reuse of furniture and white goods, and 73,000 tonnes of waste diverted from landfill as result of community recycling.

“With a national turnover in excess of £26m, the community recycling sector cannot be underestimated. That is why we are once again keen to recognise those organisations which have excelled over the past year.”

Community recycling organisations, large or small, from up and down the country are being invited to enter categories including CRNS Member of the Year, Innovation Award and the Local Authority Partnership Award.

Previous winners have said that they have experienced a range of benefits since they picked up their awards.

Re-JIG, which is a small community recycling charity run by a small committee of local people on Islay, won the 2006 Innovation Award for devising a way of turning used cooking oil from local businesses into environmentally friendly bio-diesel which is used to run everyday vehicles.

Re-JIG Project Manager David Protherough said:

“Winning the award boosted our staff and volunteers’ morale and increased our profile which has helped us onto even greater success. It’s also helped to put us in touch with other like-minded projects in other parts of the country and share our experiences to help others.”

Fife based FEAT Enterprises, which helps people with disabilities or other disadvantages to find employment, won the 2005 CRNS Member of the Year Award. FEAT Enterprises’ Chief Executive, Pauline Hinchion, commented:

“The award was recognition that the community recycling sector welcomes innovative approaches to recycling. For us at FEAT Enterprises, the award raised our profile which helped us to win new contracts.

“There are numerous other successful community recycling projects all over Scotland, but too often their achievements go unnoticed. These awards are a great way of recognising excellence in this vital sector.”

The Awards are open to all CRNS members and nominations can be submitted online at www.crns.org.uk/index/mtr08 Closing date for nominations is Friday 11 January 2008.

The Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS) is a membership organisation for community recyclers in Scotland. It exists to provide a one-stop-shop for information and support to existing and emerging projects. Its mission is to build a stronger community recycling sector in Scotland. CRNS is a registered Scottish charity and a company limited by guarantee. CRNS is supported by the Scottish Government through the Strategic Waste Fund.

More Than Recycling 08, the CRNS 3rd Annual Conference and Awards is principally sponsored by the Cooperative Membership, part of the Co-operative Group. With corporate values including self-help and social responsibility, the Co-operative Group has already implemented many measures which aim to reduce climate change. These include introducing the UK’s largest solar panel scheme and opening their own recycling facility.

There are 3 categories of Awards:

· The CRNS Member of the Year, sponsored by Novelis Recycling the world’s largest aluminium rolled products producer and the largest recycler of aluminium drink cans.

· The Innovation Award, sponsored by SEPA, which provides an efficient and integrated environmental protection system for Scotland, to improve the environment and contribute to Scottish Ministers’ goal of sustainable development.

· The Local Authority Partnership Award sponsored by The Yellow Pages Directory Recycling Scheme. The Scheme works with local authorities and environmental organisations across the UK to encourage households to recycle old Yellow Pages directories, via kerbside schemes, recycling banks and schools.