Support for Community Groups

The community sector is an important part of the Governments Zero Waste policies. In addition to providing recycling services in geographic areas or for particular materials, the community sector provides a substantial resource for engaging with the public on waste avoidance and recycling issues. Remade Scotland works with the Community Recycling Network for Scotland to deliver material or information support to this sector.

In June 2008, Remade produced the report "Market Development Opportunities for 'Difficult' Materials and Non Core Recyclates in the Community Sector". The report focussed on materials which were identified as having the highest potential for the development of reprocessing business as well as opportunities for collection. The materials identified were:

• Carpets
• Plasterboard
• Tyres
• Expanded Polystyrene
• Textiles

CRNS (Community Recycling Network Scotland) also identified a need to develop an evidence base on the carbon impact of community sector recycling, to support the community sector activities.

Proposed Activities for 2009/10

A number of meetings with CRNS have been held to identify appropriate support that should be provided under this element of the programme. It has been agreed that all work will be in partnership with CRNS as opposed to any individual direct support to community organisations. Two streams of support have been identified to assist with development of a materials strategy and to conduct further carbon modelling to assess the impact of reuse services. For 2009/10 the Remade Scotland Programme will:

• assist CRNS develop a community based materials strategy;
• conduct carbon modelling including assessing the carbon impact of a variety of services delivered by CRNS members: furniture reuse, bicycle reuse and kerbside recycling services; and
• bench-mark various community services against equivalent Local Authority services.