25/11/2004

Funding boost to help community sector recycling

The government has today announced a cash boost to enable the voluntary and community sector to continue reusing, recycling and composting waste.

Community organisations operating in England will benefit from £4 million of funding and support to help them develop partnerships with local authorities and share their expertise.

The community waste sector has pioneered many of the services that are widespread today, including kerbside collection of recyclables. Other activities cover the collection of unwanted furniture for distribution to families on low incomes and community composting activities which both help to reduce the amount of municipal waste going to landfill.

Environment Minister, Elliot Morley, said the funding was "vital", not least because the community waste sector has been a "major player" in the municipal waste scene.

"Community waste projects now provide kerbside recycling services to more than two million homes, and have created thousands of jobs over the past 10 years, as well as many training and volunteering opportunities for people who find it difficult to find work," he said.

"The majority of organisations in the sector are small, localised voluntary groups relying heavily on grant funding or charitable donations. This funding is therefore a real opportunity for them to think about their future and what they need to do to sustain their activities."

The UK community waste and recycling sector comprises between 850 and 1,000 organisations.

(gmcg/sp)

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