SCOTLAND: Funding for community recycling
New funding to put community recycling initiatives on a more sustainable footing was announced today.
Environment Minister Ross Finnie awarded £40,000 to the Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS) to provide support for Scotland's community waste sector.
In addition, the Scottish Executive will make available a further £300,000 to CRNS in each of financial years 2004/05 and 2005/06 once a viable business plan is approved by the Executive.
This funding will support the appointment of development officers to advise the community waste sector on issues such as business planning and running sustainable projects.
Speaking as CRNS held a conference and seminar in Perth, Mr Finnie said:
"The community sector has been at the forefront of the drive to use resources more sustainably. It is right that they should continue to identify new opportunities to deliver sustainable recycling initiatives.
"More must be done to reduce and reuse waste, new initiatives are needed to make recycling facilities more readily available in rural Scotland, we need to identify new markets for recycled materials and more must be done to engage communities in this vital work.
"This funding is an investment in the future of the community waste sector in Scotland. It will help CRNS to play a full part in driving the kind of change we want to see."
Iain Gulland of CRNS said:
"We welcome the support from the Scottish Executive for the CRNS. This money will allow the organisation to further develop the role of community recyclers across Scotland, consistent with the implementation of the local area waste plans. This is about moving the sector forward, supporting projects at the grass roots and maximising opportunities. The support for the CRNS coupled with the new £5 million fund for community recycling wil allow the sector to play an active part in the shift from our throw away culture to one which values our resources, our environment and our communities."
Graeme Cunningham, the Chair of the Recycling Advisory Group for Scotland said:
"RAGS members are delighted to have been the catalyst that set up the CRNS. From its concept as a RAGS project, the CRNS has grown rapidly due to hard work by dedicated RAGS staff and the enthusiasm of its Community Sector representatives. RAGS looks forward to working closely with the CRNS to reach Scottish communities with innovative recycling and waste minimisation projects."
The National Waste Plan, published in February 2003, lays down a number of targets to improve Scotland's record on sustainable waste management. The most pressing short term target is to recycle or compost 25% of Municipal Solid Waste by 2006.
The Scottish Executive already provides the Recycling Advisory Group for Scotland (RAGS) with £40,000 a year to help establish the CRNS. The funding being announced today, which will be provided through consequentials awarded to the Scottish Ministers after changes to the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme, is additional to this expenditure. CRNS will continue to work closely with RAGS sharing, for example, office space and staff, when appropriate.
Mr Finnie announced on 8 October that £5 million would be available over two years (2004/05 and 2005/06) to support community initiatives to reduce, reuse and recycle waste. The funding being announced today is additional to this expenditure.