September 2006
Individual Achievement Award
NCWRP Project Director Richard Mehmed has won the Resource Magazine 2006 Individual Achievement Award. You can read more about the award on the Resource website.
Additional Staff Members
Rosemary Teeney
After working with us as a volunteer for more than a year, Rosemary Teeney has joined the staff. Working part time, Rosemary is in charge of our admin' and keeping our accounts up to date. She is also responsible for collating wood recycling tonnages and jobs and volunteering stats' from our affiliated projects, along with providing information to interested parties and keeping the Project Director in shape.
Mark Niedzwiedz
Funded by the grant from Unltd (see below) Mark has joined the NCWRP as fundraiser and marketing support officer. Mark first volunteered in the early days of the Brighton Project, so knows a good deal about wood recycling and what we are trying to achieve.
Grant from Unltd
We are very grateful to Social Enterprise support organisation Unltd for their grant of £20,000 to enable us to take on a member of staff. Given our current budget constraints and the fact that we will need to obtain further core (money for wages etc.) funding by March next year to allow us to continue operating, the money from Unltd is more than welcome!
In addition to giving us money, Unltd are also providing free consultancy support and are helping us strengthen our Management Board and devise an effective fundraising strategies.
New Wood Recycling Projects Set Up
We are delighted that new projects have opened in Chichester, Hastings, Wiltshire (Castle Combe) and Exeter – bringing the number of Affiliated Projects to nineteen – with more to come! We wish these new enterprises all the very best.
FREE Seminar on Friday 12 November
In association with London Community Recycling Network (LCRN) we are holding a half–day seminar on wood recycling and the possibilities for London from 9.30 am to 1pm on 12/11. The event will be held at their offices at 28 Charles Square N1.
Not any where near as comprehensive as the two we held recently, the event is at least free and will certainly be worthwhile to anyone who missed the previous seminars and wants to learn more about our model of wood recycling. For more details call Nik or Neil at LCRN on 0207 324 4690 or email Neil@lcrn.org.uk without delay.
National Recycling Awards 2005
As mentioned in the July / August update, we were Finalists in the Waste Minimisation Category of the National Recycling Awards 2005. The ceremony was on the 25 October in Sheffield it was an enjoyable event, but unfortunately we did not win. Still, our Finalists Certificate hangs proudly on our office wall ….and there’s always next year.
NCWRP Seminars
In September and October we ran day – long seminars in Manchester and Brighton on our model of community wood recycling. Both events were sell–outs and, if the feedback forms were anything to go by, were very well received by the delegates. We were lucky enough to have representatives from the N Wales, Bristol, London and Manchester Projects on hand to share their experiences and offer advice to the enthusiastic potential wood recyclers, some of whom we hope, will start projects.
COLLECTION TIP OF THE MONTH!!!!!
The Brighton Project collects regularly from several scaffold companies that – due to the higher H&S requirements – have to get rid of scaffold boards showing the slightest damage that might make them dangerous. Although often relatively short lengths, these boards can generate lots of profit for groups prepared to sand them and sell them for shelves (there are some examples on our website). Just check out your local Yellow Pages for details of scaffold companies in the area, call them ask what they do with their redundant boards and do a deal! If you are just half as successful as the Brighton team, you’ll make some money.
Updated National Figures on Wood Waste
Recent figures from WRAP (wrap.org.uk) show that wood recycling has increased significantly in the last couple of years. But the situation is still far from satisfactory with only around 1.2 million tonnes being recycled (into chipboard, fuel mulch and bedding) from the total of 10.4 million tones of wood waste now estimated to be generated each year.
The vast majority of recycled woodchip is still ending up in chipboard, which – arguably - is not a sustainable product, and more end uses need to be developed if high volume wood recycling is really going to grow. Furthermore, it is very important that we find end uses for wood that’s contaminated with preservatives, stains, paint etc. and for the huge amount of chipboard and MDF that is ending up in the waste stream. We are currently doing some research into what is happening on this front and will let you know in due course.
Your Contribution Required
Without contributions from affiliated Projects, budding wood recyclers and supporters / interested parties, this Update won’t be half as interesting. So keep your news and views coming!! Deadline for the November/December Update is Monday 19 December.
July/August 2005
NCWRP in National Recycling Awards 2005
We are a finalist in the Waste Minimization Category of the above awards. These annual awards recognize individuals and organizations that have made an outstanding contribution to recycling in the UK . The finals this year are in Sheffield on 25 October. In 1999 the Brighton & Hove Wood Recycling Project was a finalist in the same category!
Warings (waringsgroup.com) become “Lead Sponsor”
South East – based building firm Warings has become our very first Lead Sponsor with a donation of £500 towards the NCWRP's operating costs.
Just as important, sponsorship entails working with any NCWRP - affiliated wood recycling project operating near to any of their building sites. So far arrangements are being finalized for the Brighton project to service Waring's new – build care home contracts in West Sussex . With sites in other parts of the region, there are opportunities for other wood recyclers to benefit too. For further details please contact us.
As environmental best - practice in the construction sector grows, we are convinced that our model of wood recycling will be seen as a great way to help builders' minimize waste on site, fulfill some CSR obligations, gain some fantastic PR - and reduce disposal costs too.
We applaud Warings for their groundbreaking efforts and real commitment to environmental and social issues; if only all builders were like them!
NCWRP Seminar Days
In association with the CRN, we are holding one – day seminars in Manchester on the 27 September 2005 and repeated in Brighton on 13 October 05.
They are aimed at those who understand the basic concept and want to learn more about the practical steps needed to start a community – focused wood recycling project. There are limited spaces and both events are booking fast, so please contact us if you are interested in attending either day. Some bursaries are available for those unable to pay the fee.
WRAP (wrap.org.uk) Report on SE Wood Waste
WRAP have now published a report into the dire state of wood recycling in SE England . It estimates that almost 1 million tonnes of wood waste is generated annually in the region, of which a whopping 650,000 tonnes ends up in landfill. To remedy this appalling situation, they are offering grants to businesses that want to set up / expand in the SE to turn waste timber into higher – value products, such as animal bedding and mulches. Unfortunately, the support does not extend to community wood recyclers as (although we are delivering wonderful social and environmental outcomes) we are only dealing with relatively low volumes. For more info please visit the wrap website.
Your Contribution Required
Without contributions from affiliated Projects, budding wood recyclers and supporters / interested parties, this Update won't be half as interesting. So keep your news and views coming!! Deadline for the September Update is Monday 3 October.
To celebrate
the move into bigger better premises, Oliver Heath - presenter of BBC's Changing
Rooms - was Guest of Honour at the official Opening Day on Saturday April
23. The Project has gained an extra 500ft2 which will enable it to sell even
more good wood and display a wider range of interesting items made from recycled
timber.
Spring 2005 has seen the opening of three further community wood recycling projects - bringing the total to nine!
The new projects are based in Littleport (Cambridge), Penge (SE London) and Birmingham. Although all are different and respond to local circumstances, they are all committed to reducing waste, saving resources and creating jobs and training places for local people. Here at the NCWRP we heartily welcome them to the community wood recycling family!Congratulations to Ben, Nicola and all the team! In recognition of their flying start (they only opened last year!), Bristol Wood Recycling Project has been nominated for the Resource Magazine "Newcomer" of the Year Award.
After a long search for new premises, Leaside Wood Recycling Project have finally taken possession of a site in east London - provided by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on favourable terms. The address is Loch Nagar Street E14 (nearest tube is Bow Road on the District line), and to arrange a visit, please call the Project Manager, Danny Sullivan on 07867 885 115.
Manchester project TRiM (Timber Recycling in Manchester) is working with national construction company Taylor Woodrow to reduce timber waste on their site in Didsbury greater Manchester.
We're moving! From 1st June 2005 we will be in larger offices at Shoreham Airport a few miles outside Brighton. We need the extra space to accommodate the new range of services (see below) that we hope to provide - once the additional funding has been secured.
The NCWRP is trying to raise funds for marketing / PR service. We have been carrying out Feasibility Studies for prospective groups for quite a while, but as we are always being told that selling the collection service to builders and other potential collection customers is one of the most challenging parts of setting up - we want to help.
We intend to
introduce a comprehensive marketing and PR service around August / September
2005, either free, subsidised or charged at cost - depending on how successful
we are in attracting funding.
For more details contact Project Director Richard Mehmed.
NCWRP urges everyone to contribute to this website.
This website is a work-in-progress and we would very much like to include more information on any and all aspects of community wood recycling.
We are particularly
keen to include news from all the projects - especially your experiences,
tips, grievances etc.
The NCWRP has
been awarded £89, 910 over three years by grant-giving charity Esmee
Fairbairn.
Just as our first grant from the SEED Fund had all but run out, we have been
awarded almost £90, 000 by one of the Country's leading Charitable Trusts
to continue our work.
The grant - to cover wages and other overheads - will be paid in three annual
instalments and helps ensure that we can stick around to help many more community
wood recycling projects get off the ground and play their part in reducing
waste, saving resources and creating jobs!
We are soon to publish our accounts and business plan on this site so you
can see how we spent our first grant and how we intend to spend this one.
The great news
is that there are now wood recycling projects in Manchester, N. Wales and
Bristol.
That's three new groups to add to Brighton, East London and the Isle of Wight.
Although we are likely to miss our previous target of 10 groups up and running
before the end of 2004, we are working with around another 20 organisations
- so it should not be too long before we are in double figures!
During the summer
we carried out some research with Network Recycling (a not-for-profit) environmental
consultancy into the type of timber waste found on construction sites.
As well as earning a decent amount of cash for us, hopefully the results will
show that this fairly forgotten (except by us) wood waste stream contains
lots of timber that can be reused and recycled!
