Funding to inspire reuse of household goods
13 Nov 2009 12:23 PM
Plans to increase the reuse of second hand furniture and household goods in Scotland were given a lift yesterday with the launch of a £800,000 investment programme.
The cash - from the Scottish Government's £7.5 million INCREASE fund - will be targeted at Scottish-based community projects which reuse household items, such as furniture, white goods, or carpets. The investment programme will be managed by WRAP Scotland (Waste & Resources Action Programme) and supported by the Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS).
The programme will fund up to 50 per cent of project costs and projects must be fully operational by March 31, 2011.
Funders particularly want to support innovative ways to encourage reuse, including developing purpose-built, community reuse facilities at local authority recycling centres.
They also want to target areas of Scotland where reuse infrastructure is currently under-developed.
Environment Secretary, Richard Lochhead said:
"We know that the vast majority of people are interested in doing their bit to protect the environment. Reusing furniture and household goods is a perfect example of a simple, cost-effective step that can be taken to help us reach our goal of a Zero Waste Scotland.
"Donating furniture reduces the amount of valuable resource needlessly being sent to landfill and reuse projects also provide vital training and employment opportunities. This latest round of investment will specifically target areas where reuse facilities are not up to scratch, encouraging the public to reuse and recycle rather than dump their furniture and household goods which are often still in working order."
Iain Gulland, WRAP Director for Scotland, said:
"Too many valuable household items are needlessly put into landfill. For example, WRAP research has shown that around a third of electrical goods we throw out are still in good working order.
"Instead, reusing items should be the norm. This funding will help improve the reuse infrastructure in areas of Scotland - making it easier for people to donate items than it is to dump them."
Pauline Hinchion, Chief Executive of CRNS, said:
"In these financially difficult times, the reuse of household goods is a great way for people to meet their needs on a tight budget while protecting the environment from unnecessary landfill. CRNS members already assist over 100,000 people a year, often by providing good quality reusable goods at no or low cost. This fund will enable more goods to be reused by ensuring there's a local reuse option available to everyone across Scotland."
There will be a single round of applications to the programme, which closes at 1.30pm on Friday January 8, 2010. Application guidelines can be downloaded from http://www.wrapscotland.org.uk/.
WRAP Scotland, in partnership with the CRNS, is hosting a series of regional seminars for potential applicants to explain the aims of the programme and the application process. These are:
- Stirling - Tuesday November 24, 2009
- Edinburgh - Wednesday November 25, 2009
- Inverness - Thursday November 26, 2009
To register for one of these seminars visit www.crns.org.uk