7 THE COMMUNITY SECTOR
71. Community waste minimisation, re-use, recycling
and composting schemes have an impressive record in delivering
real gains to local sustainable waste management and in taking
forward the sustainable development agenda more broadly through
social projects. Members of the Community Recycling Network provide
kerbside recycling services to 1.6 million households in the UK.[79]
A survey conducted by the University of Bradford study showed
that 35 per cent of community waste projects supported low-income
families through the provision of low cost furniture and more
than 40 per cent provided training through the New Deal or other
intermediate labour market schemes.[80]
72. Moreover, community recycling schemes can often
"harness the goodwill"[81]
of local residents more readily than either local authorities
or commercial enterprises. Southwark Borough Council works with
Southwark Community Recycling, which conducts door-to-door collections
of recyclable materials. "They get a good response. It is
that personal touch."[82]
Bath and North East Somerset Council attributed some of its success
in reaching high levels of recycling to its partnership with Avon
Friends of the Earth.
73. As we discuss above, there is little incentive
at present for householders to sort their waste into different
categories for recycling. Any means of increasing participation
in recycling schemes is greatly to be welcomed. The Government
has already recognised the role that community organisations can
play[83]
and we applaud efforts of waste companies to involve the community
sector in their integrated waste management plans.[84]
74. However, community not-for-profit projects face
financial barriers to their work and certain aspects of waste
policy can act against them. For example, disposal authorities
are only obliged to pay recycling credits for recycling carried
out by collection authorities. Payment to third parties such as
community projects is discretionary. We recommend that both central
and local government actively support community waste projects.
The Government should consider making the payment of recycling
credits to community waste projects mandatory, or seek other ways
in which such projects can minimise their unrecovered costs.
79 Ev 238,
para 2. Back
80 D. Luckin
and L. Sharpe, 2003, Sustainable development in practice: community
waste projects in the UK, University of Bradford. Back
81 Ev 238. Back
82 Q 174. Back
83 Defra, 2001,
Guidance on Municipal Waste Management plans, http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment. Back
84 Q 293. Back
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