Southern Housing Group opens resident reuse hub

Southern Housing Group, a housing association managing more than 26,000 homes across 70 local authorities, has partnered with social regeneration charity Groundwork London and London Community Resource Network (LCRN) to create a community re-use centre, Repurpose, in Camberwell, London.

Repurpose, situated on the Warner Road Estate, will be a recycling hub for unwanted furniture and electrical items, which will then be repaired, upcycled and sold on at low cost to residents of the estate.

The project aims to reduce the amount of fly-tipping in the area and encourage residents not to waste unwanted goods, as well as offering a range of volunteering and skills-building roles for residents of the estate.

The programme, due to open in October, will also hold ten community events and work with local schools to help bring the community together.

The project has received funding from the European Commission’s environmental funding programme LIFE+ and is part of a broader programme run by Groundwork London, with four other housing associations also taking part.

Resident Services Manager at Southern Housing Group, Jonathan Cavanagh, said: “This is a great initiative as it not only delivers a sustainable approach to waste management and provides great volunteering opportunities, but it will also benefit our residents on low incomes as they’ll be able to buy upgraded furniture at a low cost.”

Natalie Sexby, a resident at Warner Road Estate who has already volunteered to take part, added: “I’m really looking forward to helping out at the reuse hub and already can’t wait to see the finished product of some of the furniture that we’ll be working on.”

Learn more about the Repurpose programme.

Taylor launches rewards scheme

Taylor, the manufacturer of four-wheeled galvanised steel bins, has launched a rewards scheme as part of its ‘Taylored Solutions programme’, the company’s new circular approach to bin provision.

In a bid to transfer the concept of brand loyalty relevant to the waste industry, Taylor claims that its voucher scheme will be a central component of its 2016 UK growth plan.

Each time an order is placed through Taylor’s New Build portfolio and Refurbishment service, points will be issued and can be redeemed, within 12 months, across the Taylored Solutions platform, which includes Taylor’s Approved Used products and Spares & Accessories division.

On the launch of the scheme, Brendan Murphy, Chief Executive of the Taylor Group, commented: “Against a backdrop of budget cuts and growing pressure on organisations to achieve more for less, we expect our voucher scheme, and indeed our wider offering under the Taylored Solutions portfolio, to be welcomed by those unwilling to compromise on quality yet who require an entry point into the Taylor brand at every level.”

Learn more about the Taylored Solutions Programme.

Ealing Council introduces fines for littering

Ealing Council has taken steps to crack down on litter by teaming up with private firm Kingdom Security to provide teams of officers patrolling the borough to fine anyone caught throwing rubbish on to the street.

Kingdom Security will work with the council’s environmental enforcement officers to provide a ‘high-profile deterrent’, issuing £80 fines to anyone caught dropping litter, spitting or allowing their dogs to foul the streets.

Running for a one-year trial, Kingdom Security will take a share of the issued fines, instead of being funded by the council.

The trial will also see council teams working alongside the police and members of the public, as well as the neighbouring borough of Harrow, as part of a wider approach to improve the environment and public spaces.

Commenting on the new partnership, Cabinet Member for Transport, Environment and Leisure, Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, said: “We spend £4.5 million each year cleaning up after people who feel it is OK to litter our streets with rubbish, chewing gum, spitting or dog mess. Ealing residents are sick of seeing it and paying to get it cleaned up through their taxes.

“The changes we are making will turn the tide against these selfish individuals, who are committing these offences and deal with them with these on the spot penalty notices. By working together with residents, the police, contractors and partners, we want to improve the environment in our borough for everyone to enjoy.”

Find out more about waste enforcement in Ealing.

DS Smith pledge to improve plastic recycling rates

Packaging producer DS Smith has pledged its commitment to the UK’s Plastic Industry Recycling Action Plan (PIRAP), which advocates the importance of collecting high quality materials for recycling.

PIRAP works to increase recycling rates by bringing together producers, consumers, recyclers and reprocessors of plastics in order to highlight where and how improvements can be made.

The plastic division of DS Smith aims to uphold PIRAP’s values, with existing items such as moulded plastic crates, graphic boards and containers designed to be reused for years, recycled and then repurposed into new products at the end of their life.

DS Smith’s Commercial Manager, Jonathan Edmunds, said: “Joining PIRAP complements DS Smith’s core values and vision superbly, and is something that we strongly believe in and want to be a part of.

“It reinforces our commitment of designing and creating optimised packaging made of resilient materials that can be reused, recycled and repurposed for multiple life cycles.”

“It is crucial that we continue to make sure we handle plastics sustainably and avoid sending this material to landfill, because this is a waste of a valuable resource. It’s also important that we support programmes such as PIRAP which enable our industry to work together to develop better recycling schemes and goals for the future.”

Find out more about PIRAP.

Human skull found at Devon recycling centre sparks warnings

Warnings have been issued by Devon County Council after a human skull was found in a waste recycling centre skip at Sutton Barton, near Honiton.

The council have urged the public to consider what they are taking to be recycled after the police were called to examine the skull.

The centre was closed for a few hours while police examined the skull that, on closer inspection, was found to have been used for educational purposes.

This is just one in a series of incidents this year where suspicious or potentially dangerous items have prompted Devon recycling centres to close. Other such cases include marine flares and a tank mortar shell, which both required sites to be evacuated while bomb disposal experts removed the items.

Devon County Council Cabinet Member for the Environment, Roger Croad, said: “These closures have been avoidable, and have wasted valuable time and resources of the police and bomb disposal teams, as well as that of our own staff.

“Some people may consider something that’s been sat in their loft or garden shed for years as completely harmless, but it’s a question of perception, so we would like to remind people to check and think about what they’re planning to take to the cycling centre.”

Find out more about waste and recycling in Devon