Campbeltown Waste Watchers is a local company and charity that aims to promote recycling, promote education in the field of waste management and provide employment for local people.
Overview
PROJECT SUMMARY
Campbeltown Waste Watchers is a Company Limited by Guarantee, and a Registered Charity. The objects of the company are:
- Recycling
To promote and preserve the natural environment for the benefit of the general public and in particular to promote, advance, manage and effect the provision, development and improvement of facilities for waste minimisation and to assist in the adoption of practices which are directed towards reducing unnecessary depletion of natural resources and/or reducing the volume of non-recycled waste.
- Education and research
To promote education in the field of waste management and, in particular to collate information and carry out research in that field and disseminate such information and the results of such research, all with a view to encouraging the use of more sustainable waste management practices.
- Employment of local people, with an emphasis on supporting people with special needs
To relieve poverty among the residents of Kintyre and in particular individuals suffering from mental/physical disability, illness or impairment
To promote and/or provide training in skills of all kinds, particularly such skills as will assist residents of Kintyre to obtain paid employment.
KEY PARTNERS
Key partners were Argyll and Bute Council, both the Head of Amenity Services and the Waste Disposal Officer and Shanks Waste Services.
FUNDERS
Landfill Tax - £150,000 over three years (combination of capital and revenue)
Robertson Trust £10,000 capital
Private trust (confidential) £20,000 (combination of private and revenue)
Esmee Fairbairn Trust - £21,500 revenue
£25,000 revenue
Community Fund - £131000 revenue funding over three years
Allen lane Foundation - £6,000 capital
Cattanach Trust - £3,000 capital
Objective 1 ERDF - £98,000, mostly revenue
Sponsorship has been secured from a private trust (confidential) £20,000 (combination of private and revenue)
Campbeltown Waste Watchers has found it much easier to apply for capital funding than recurring revenue
Campbeltown Waste Watchers plans to generate 40% of its income this year, from payment of goods and services, rather than grants or loans.
The project has service delivery contracts with the local authority, but also sells the recycled cans, plastic bottles textiles, cardboard, shredded newspaper for animal bedding. The project also sells recycled computer parts and peripherals.
STRATEGIC CRITERIA
Argyll & Bute; Recycling/ waste reduction; job creation; economy
Plan
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
In 1998, Campbeltown Waste Watchers became a Company Limited by Guarantee, and a Registered Charity. The objects of the company were defined as:
- To promote and preserve the natural environment for the benefit of the general public and in particular to promote, advance, manage and effect the provision, development and improvement of facilities for waste minimisation and to assist in the adoption of practices which are directed towards reducing unnecessary depletion of natural resources and/or reducing the volume of non-recycled waste.
- To promote education in the field of waste management and, in particular to collate information and carry out research in that field and disseminate such information and the results of such research, all with a view to encouraging the use of more sustainable waste management practices.
- To relieve poverty among the residents of Kintyre and in particular individuals suffering from mental/physical disability, illness or impairment
- To promote and/or provide training in skills of all kinds, particularly such skills as will assist residents of Kintyre to obtain paid employment.
TARGET OUTPUTS
The group's initial activities were:
- A paper shredding operation, whereby newsprint was collected from community recycling banks to produce shredded newsprint bedding. (In 1999, 22 local farms in South Kintyre used paper bedding, thus saving 200 tonnes of newsprint from landfill.)
- Vermi-culture operation, where garden waste collected from Campbeltown householders was composted with the shredded newspaper and fed into worm beds to produce worm casts which were sold on to horticulturists & growers. The worms bred in the process were also sold on for home composting & fishing bait.
- Collected textiles from textiles banks, which were then sorted and sent to overseas charities or shredded for fibres.
- Aluminium can collections from local schools.
The project also formed a partnership with Argyll Strategic Employment Team (ASET), to support disabled people into employment with the project, and offer ongoing assessment and mentoring to the employees.
FUTURE STEPS
The project will continue indefinitely, subject to funding, and income
The project also plans to open a new depot in Lochgilphead, for sorting and storage, which will employ part time special needs employees.
Generally, the project intends to increase its fleet of vehicles and its workforce, to meet growing demands on its services.
Campbeltown Waste Watchers is continually revising markets and collections, and is often waiting for scientific innovation to catch up, or for changes to government policies or tax regulations. The project would like to expand in to the collection of polymers, or the use of cooking oil for bio fuel. However, these plans are in the middle to distant future.
Progress
The project has worked closely with Argyll and Bute Council, Shanks Waste Services, Argyll Strategic Employment Team. In addition, the project is also a member of Community Recycling Network, and Recycling Action Group Scotland. This has allowed the project to be part of a collective voice on the issues of recycling, and has helped Campbeltown Waste Watchers to lobby the Scottish parliament when it appeared that funding from landfill taxes would be cut.
Campbeltown Waste Watchers is also a vital delivery agent of the Area Waste Plan, and a member of the Area Waste Strategy Group. Involvement in groups such as these is vital for the project, as it keeps the project up to date with funding and government plans for recycling, and it gives Campbeltown Waste Watchers a sphere if influence with local and national government, and those who design new strategies.
The project has a very active board, as well as a general manager and company secretary, who carry out all development work.
Campbeltown Waste Watchers now works with other community groups in Argyll, and helps to co-ordinate smaller groups, advising on collection methods, sharing resources, such as transport to waste brokers.
CURRENT ISSUES/ EVENTS
Campbeltown Waste Watchers prevents waste going to landfill sites, and therefore prevents further environmental erosion. The project welcomes suggestions from members or the public, into other areas of recycling, such as computer parts. However, the project will only collect waste which it is able to sell on, or convert to usable materials.
Review
MEASURING ACHIEVEMENTS
Campbeltown Waste Watchers have very clear quantitative targets:
- 2003 - 600 tonnes of waste collected and processed
- 2004 - 800 tonnes of waste collected and processed
- 2005 - 1000 tonnes of waste collected and processed
The project also has targets weights for each type of material, and measures the amount of complaints form the public, per capita of the population.
The project has a general aim of every household in Kintyre being offered a kerbside collection for plastics, cans, newspapers, cardboard and textiles.
The project has been more successful than originally thought. The contacts put this down to the calibre of their staff, who are friendly and courteous, and have built up a good relationship with the local population, (Campbeltown has an ageing population).
OUTCOMES
Campbeltown Community
The project now employs 23 people on a permanent basis, of which 11 are full time, and ten are part time.
By offering part time work, and working in partnership with ASET, the project has integrated 10 special needs people into the general workforce, leading to these individuals having increased self esteem, social and communication skills. The plan is to concentrate on the personal development of these individuals, setting them more challenges, and achievable goals, such as manual handling courses.
Environmental Achievements
- The project now recycles 48 tonnes of waste per month, waste which was due to be dumped in landfill sites.
- The project has expanded, and now carries out the following activities:
- Collection for de-gassing of fridges
- Confidential document shredding service
- Recycling of aluminium cans and plastic bottles
- Kerbside recycling, in addition to collection from banks
- Newspaper shredding, which is converted into animal bedding for local farmers
- Cardboard recycling, which is made in to bags and packaging
- Textiles, for overseas aid or fibre shredding
- Recycling of computers and peripherals, (such as toners, ink cartridges)
Operational Achievements
It is the ethos of Campbeltown Waste Watchers that the company will only collect waste which can be recycled, or sold on to brokers. This is critical in terms of business planning, income generation, storage, and sustainability. However, the company also constantly seeks to source new recycling activities and uses for various waste products. This combination of business panning and innovation has resulted in 40% of income to the company coming from sustainable generated income, rather than medium or short term grants or public funding.
UNEXPECTED OUTCOMES:
Campbeltown Waste Watchers has grown rapidly since it registered as a company, and this has brought difficulties, more associated with the problems of success, than a threat to the company. For example, the project now collects increased tonnage from kerbside collections, which brings challenges in terms of storage, transport to markets. The project has increased its workforce to 23, thus resulting a need for more staff facilities, toilets, etc.
Plastic recycling in Scotland would greatly benefit from a plastics processing mill in Scotland, as all plastics have to be transported to mills in England, thus increasing costs and putting more heavy vehicles on the road,
In this case, the organisation is the project, and has adapted as the project has grown, and the need to recycle has become more to the forefront in the public's agenda.
LOCAL INVOLVEMENT
The seven volunteer directors who form the board of Campbeltown Waste Watchers. These people have a number of varied skills, interests and abilities, and are employed in various professions, such as veterinary science, amenity services, higher education, health board management, alternative therapy, community work.
In addition to the board, and the 23 local employees, Campbeltown Waste Watchers has a membership of 150. These members pay an annual subscription of £1, and in return receive a quarterly newsletter informing them of developments and new initiatives. In a small community like Campbeltown, these 150 members also serve to market the project to their neighbours, thus 'spreading the word' about recycling and sustainable development.
As from April 2003, Campbeltown Waste Watchers will be adding 800 new homes to their kerbside collection run. These homes have been leafleted about the services delivered and about membership and it is expected that some of these 800 will join Campbeltown Waste Watchers as members.
The public has been very co-operative about this project, as Campbeltown Waste Watchers has always sought to make it as easy as possible for the public to participate in recycling, by placing collection points according to community requests, and by introducing kerbside collections.
The operatives involved in kerbside collections, have also gone that little bit extra to help the public, especially the elderly, by carrying bags downstairs, etc.
All decisions are made by local people, as the board of directors is made up entirely of local volunteers.
The membership of 150 has built up since the start of the project. In addition, Campbeltown Waste Watchers has developed an informal system of local 'agents', that is, local people who will take responsibility for their close or neighbours houses, and make sure that the recycle bags are put out for the collectors, or who will share bags with neighbours who have a very small volume of waste.
A survey was recently carried out, of 850 customers, to determine levels of satisfactions ant to discern areas for improvement. The survey found that certain types of households were more keen on recycling than other, i.e. people who lived in houses were more likely to participate, then people living in tenemental flats. In order to offset this imbalance, the project is looking at ways to place recycling bins in courtyards, making it easier for tenement dwellers to participate, by allowing them to carry small amounts of waste down stairs, rather than the heavier bags.
The project has found that by trying to identify barriers to participation, and then designing effective strategies to combat these barriers, the level of involvement in recycling activities has increased. For example, 65% of households participate in the kerb side collections.
This increase in kerbside collections has also resulted in a general increase in the wish to recycle goods, and has lead to an increase in public demand for amenity sites, and recycling centres.
EXTERNAL INVOLVEMENT / SUPPORT
Key people involved in the project:
Argyll and Bute Council: Head of Amenity Services
Waste Disposal Officer
Shanks Waste Services :Manager
Argyll and Bute Council have been integral to the success of this project, from supporting it with applications to ERDF, to assistance with capital purchases such as collection banks, and bags.
The Council has also assisted Campbeltown Waste Watcher's sustainability by converting initial grants to service level agreements, bringing in earned income to the project, which is now negotiating a contract for business recycling collections.
Shanks has assisted the project in various ways, all stemming from the goodwill generated by Campbeltown Waste Watchers. Shanks has assisted the project with collections, offers surplus storage space for plastics, has set up a working agreement for the collection and disposal of fridges.
NEED FOR ORGANISATION/ PROJECT
In the mid 1990's, due to a continuous decline in local industries, and its geographical isolation, Campbeltown was (and continues to be) an unemployment black spot, with no provision for training and employment of special needs adults.
At the time the Campbeltown and South Kintyre area had a poor rate of recycling: this was acknowledged by Argyll and Bute Council, which was aware that it needed to make drastic changes to its methods of waste disposal. The Council also recognised, that in order to meet new targets for re-directing waste destined for landfill sites, it could achieve significant benefits by contracting activities and services to community groups.
In order to meet the above needs in terms of recycling and employment opportunities, and in response to the Council's new approach to service delivery, a group of local volunteers decided to form Campbeltown Waste Watchers, in order to recycle aluminium cans and textiles, and create employment opportunities, especially for those in the community with special needs.
KEY STEPS IN PROCESS
Registering with Entrust: in 1997, Campbeltown Waste Watchers registered with Entrust, in order to apply for Landfill Tax.
The group also started negotiations with Argyll and Bute Council, to discuss partnership working: this led to a contract being awarded to Campbeltown Waste Watchers, to provide personnel for the amenity site, (the local dump). The council also provided administrative assistance to the project, in order to assist the project to apply for Objective 1 ERDF funding, and Lottery funding.
Once the Landfill Tax, ERDF and Lottery funding was secured, the project was able to purchase new plant and equipment, and lease a large warehouse space, the site of the current base in Campbeltown.
LESSONS LEARNT
Although the public are interested and willing to help with recycling, high standards set by the project from the start must now be maintained, as expectations are high. The project offers a flexibility of approach to the public, in order to meet their needs and make it easier for them to participation in the recycling process.
Vermi-culture did not work well form a commercial point of view. The input cost was greater then the income from output. Wormcast from the Netherlands is much cheaper to purchase than the product offered by Campbeltown Waste Watchers.
In addition to the low prices offered by competitors, the project had no control over raw materials fed to the worms, and the wormeries were negatively affected by an infestation of flatworm.
One of the greatest difficulties faced by the project is a growing lack of space. The project has negotiated with Shanks Waste Service for temporary storage on the Shanks site, and have secured funding for additional premises.
The project was very seriously threatened by the changes to the Landfill Tax credits Scheme, which will come online from 1 April 2003. However, Campbeltown Waste Watchers, as part of a wider network of recycling projects, approached the local MP and MSP, George Lyon and Allan Reid, to lobby parliament about this issue. As a result of elected member's interventions all across Scotland, an interim grants distribution system was introduced, thus allowing the project to receive funding for this coming financial year.
It is hoped that the Strategic Waste Fund will allow Campbeltown Waste Watchers to apply for funding on a maximum five year basis, thus allowing for more strategic planning.
The gaps in support identified to date are:
- Difficult to secure revenue funding, as opposed to capital.
- New funding streams are aimed at brand new projects, rather then supporting existing projects.
- Lack of recognition of the problems facing isolate rural populations, with high transport costs, and greater distance from markets.
- Inability to forward plan, due to short term funding.
ADVICE TO OTHER ORGANISATIONS
- Develop good partnerships, especially with the local authorities
- Do background research into recycling methods, and find a method that best suits the social, demographic and economic area you will be operating in.
For example, Campbeltown Waste Watchers made the decision to recruit permanent staff, rather than rely on staff via the ILM model. Due to the low population base, they also decided to collect low volume, high value waste products.
- Start off small, and once an effective working system is established, growth will be easier.
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