Highland Council Re-use Partners

Highland Council Re-use Partners A series of service level agreements with social enterprises has allowed The Highland Council to offer bulky waste re-use collections to almost the entirety of its geographical area. The Highland Council is a unitary authority located in the north of Scotland. The council has a strong commitment to working in partnership with third sector organisations and communities, and this as an important aspect of service delivery. It currently works in partnership with five social enterprise groups. Key facts The introduction of collection charges for the council bulky waste service resulted in an 88% reduction in collection requests from households in 2009/10. Since 2009/10 the council has signposted residents to social enterprise groups offering free collections for re-usable bulky items. Social sector partners diverted 2,418 tonnes from landfill during 2009/10 (adding 1.5% to the council s recycling/re-use rate), not including Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) tonnages. There are 23 Designated Collection Facilities (DCFs) for WEEE, which handled 2,230 tonnes in 2010. The removal, refurbishment and re-sale of WEEE is subcontracted by Repic (WEE Compliance Scheme) to the social enterprise organisation and charity, Intermediate Labour Market Highland (ILM). The council has a number of service level agreements (SLAs) with social enterprise organisations for re-use of bulky items, each working within a distinct geographical area: Aid Caithness & Sutherland; Blythswood Care covers Inverness, Nairn, Easter Ross and south east Sutherland; New Start Highland covers Inverness, Ross and Cromarty, Badenoch and Strathspey, Nairn and part of Lochaber; and Acharacle Community Company covers part of Lochaber. SLAs are based on performance with payments linked to re-use tonnages. As well as the council s waste department, other departments such as social services and housing are working with the social enterprises to support and deliver wider social benefits. The SLAs have resulted in significant numbers of jobs, volunteering activities, work experience and support to disadvantaged groups. page 1

: Bulky Waste Re-use and Recycling Highland Council Re-use Partners The Highland Council The council area has a population in excess of 220,000, with 110,000 households. The largest settlements are Inverness, Nairn, Fort William, Wick and Thurso. The council covers a land area, including the islands, of some 26,000 square kilometres, representing 33% of Scotland. Due to the large geographical area and distance between communities, numerous social enterprise groups have developed over the years to support local communities, and the council has over time engaged with many of these organisations. WEEE re-use and recycling and the role of ILM ILM employs 35 staff and is involved in a diverse range of activities, including care and repair (offering people a helping hand through the process of having improvements or repairs done to their home), handyperson (practical help with odd jobs and small repairs around the home, to help the elderly or disabled), insulation and electrical appliance recycling services. ILM provides training and employment opportunities for the long-term unemployed and people from disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as supplying refurbished goods to those groups. ILM has been handling WEEE since 2002 and worked in partnership with the council before the WEEE Regulations came into force. In 2010 the council signed up with Repic as its Producer Compliance Scheme (PCS). To ensure re-use was part of the new arrangement, a clause relating to the re-use of WEEE was inserted into the new contract with Repic. There is, however, no required performance standard within the contract for re-use. Repic subcontracts the removal of all WEEE from The Highland Council s DCFs to ILM, which then refurbishes and re-sells as much of this as possible. Residual material is passed on to Repic. ILM sells refurbished items from its retail outlets in Alness and Glasgow. It also works in partnership with other charities and social enterprises, providing a supply of refurbished items. The service providing collection and re-use/recycling of municipal WEEE is now run without the need for public funding. During the calendar year 2010 ILM collected a total of 2,230 tonnes from DCFs, of this 111 tonnes was re-used. Funding the work of the social enterprises Before the introduction of the then Scottish Executive s Strategic Waste Fund (SWF) in 2005, the council provided funding to social enterprise groups. The main funding agreements started in 2006, when proposals were submitted by each of the social enterprises to the council for consideration before submission to the Scottish Executive. The grant requested from the SWF by the community groups totalled 1,022,641 in 2006/07, reducing to less than 1 million per annum for the next two years. The groups had estimated they would divert 4,136 tonnes in 2007/8, 3,473 tonnes in 2008/9 and 3,862 tonnes in 2009/10. Although this averages out at around 250 per tonne, individual costs ranged from 73.15 to 798.24 per tonne in the first year. The council paid the equivalent of a landfill disposal charge, inclusive of landfill tax, to the relevant social enterprise for each tonne of waste recycled, which would otherwise have been landfilled by, or on behalf of, the council. The community groups nearly met their estimated diversion targets, with 94% of the available funding claimed in 2007, diverting nearly 4,000 tonnes of material from landfill. Following the demise of the SWF, the council agreed to maintain the level of funding for 2008/09 at 250 per tonne (based upon the performance in 06/07 when the average was 250). This was also based on an agreed amount for every tonne re-used/ recycled, plus the equivalent waste disposal cost for every tonne recycled up to an agreed maximum tonnage. The social enterprise groups currently operate through SLAs which contain these financial arrangements. Householders ringing the council to request a bulky waste collection, charged at 15 per three items, are asked by call centre staff if the item is re-usable. If the item is reusable the householder is signposted to the appropriate social enterprise, which will then arrange a collection for free. Householders can alternatively contact the social enterprise directly, with information provided on the council s website. If upon arrival the bulky item is not considered re-usable, the council allows the social enterprise to deposit it at the council s recycling centres for free, up to an agreed annual amount. This is usually about 5% of the annual tonnage that the social enterprises collect. page 2

: Bulky Waste Re-use and Recycling Highland Council Re-use Partners Promoting the work of the social enterprises The council promotes the work of the social enterprises via the council website, and within Scotland s national re-use network, REVOLVE. The European Waste Framework Directive encourages Member States to set up Accredited Re-use and Repair Networks (ARRNs). In May 2011 Scotland created a Scottish ARRN as part of its Zero Waste Plan, and the council is working with social enterprises to determine next steps in light of this. Between 2011 and 2015, it is proposed that the programme will take Scotland s re-use organisations from an informal network and transform it into a worldclass ARRN. The vision is for re-use centres to be more visible and to have service standards guaranteed. Aid Caithness & Sutherland and Blythswood Care already have first level ARRN accreditation, and ILM and NSH have accreditation to ISO 14001/9001. New Start Highland has both ISO 9001 accreditation and first level ARRN accreditation Service level agreements SLAs were chosen rather than any formal contract arrangement as they are simple and relate to payments based upon tonnages re-used and diverted from landfill. In The Highland Council s situation, past experience of the social enterprises has allowed them to estimate how much they can re-use and so the council is able to agree SLAs based upon these forecasted tonnages. There are also bonus schemes in place paying for achievements beyond the set targets. There is wider cross-service co-operation within the council, with the involvement of the social services and housing departments, referring those in need to New Start Highland for the provision of low cost/no cost household items, including furniture start-up packs containing new and re-used furniture items. Aid Caithness & Sutherland An SLA was established with Aid Caithness & Sutherland in 2006. The target tonnage for 2010/11 is 210 tonnes, made up of approximately 63% furniture, 25% bric-abrac and 13% WEEE. On average the charity re-uses and refurbishes 200-250 tonnes per annum. Aid Caithness & Sutherland is based in Thurso, providing essential household items to people in Caithness and Sutherland on low incomes. The charity continues to be strongly supported by the communities it has served for the past 16 years through donations of furniture and other bulky re-use items. Furniture and essential items such as white goods and certain electrical items are offered at a low cost to qualifying householders. Since starting, the charity has redistributed over 46,000 good quality items in Caithness and Sutherland. They also work with the council s social services department, which refers clients in need of assistance with furnishings and other household appliances. In 2011, Aid Caithness & Sutherland employed 18 people as well as a varying number of volunteers who currently contribute over 1,755 hours a month. In return, volunteers receive travel expenses, induction, training, support and opportunities to acquire new skills, meet new people, gain confidence and become part of a friendly team. Many volunteers have left to take up a paid employment position and some still return to volunteer whenever possible. Work experience is offered to people with learning difficulties and disabilities, and training places are offered to young people under 24 on the community jobs fund scheme. In July 2008, two unmanned storage containers were placed on the west coast - one at Lochinver and the other at Kinlochbervie - at the request of the local communities and supported by local councillors. The Lochinver container is at The Highland Council Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) and is managed by the site operative. It is accessible when the site is open. The container at Kinlochbervie is at the harbour and run by a volunteer. The key for the container is held at the nearby information centre. There is a recycling unit at Balnakeil Village in Durness, which the community runs on behalf of the charity. Aid Caithness & Sutherland has been visiting the west coast twice monthly for collections of furniture and household items since June 2007 and continues to do so, as well as collecting the donations from the containers. page 3

: Bulky Waste Re-use and Recycling Highland Council Re-use Partners Aid Caithness & Sutherland has two retail outlets in Wick and Thurso, selling furniture and small WEEE items, and also has a depot in Thurso which handles the majority of its items. The charity has just purchased a small shop in Brora which opened in April 2012. It also has an SLA with The Highland Council to furnish six homes for the homeless every year. Blythswood Care An SLA with Blythswood Care was established in 2006, and the target tonnage for 2011/12 is 1,390 tonnes. This tonnage is typically exceeded each year by at least 25%. It offers a collection service across the Inner Moray Firth and up to Brora, across to Cannich and down to Grantown on Spey. Blythswood, a Christian charity, collects furniture, bric-a-brac, textiles, bedding, books, stationery, educational equipment, toys, food and equipment such as farming equipment, hospital equipment, aids for the handicapped and medicines. They have a main depot and shop in Evanton, where staff and volunteers sort the goods. Items of furniture are refurbished if minimal repairs are required. Some goods are sold locally, with others distributed to projects and associated charities in the UK and abroad including Romania, Serbia and Africa. Twenty shops are based in the Highlands. Blythswood has 77 staff and a network of 588 volunteers based in the Highlands, with 14 staff/volunteers registered disabled. Blythswood looks to provide employment training opportunities within Highland and the rest of the UK, with between four and eight employment training places being available at any one time. Blythswood Care delivered aid valued at 5.3 million to 13 countries around the world in 2011, including contributions to relief efforts for refugees and for those affected by natural disasters such as the Pakistan flooding in early 2010. Within Scotland, it also runs the Blythswood Food Bank in Inverness and Edinburgh, which provides immediate, short-term and practical help with free emergency food for a three-day period to local people in need. New Start Highland An SLA with New Start Highland was established in 2006. There is also a contract in place with the council s housing department to provide furniture starter packs and second-hand kitchen items. It has centres at Inverness, Fort William, and Invergordon. Target tonnage for 2011/12 is 753 tonnes. Formed originally to combat homelessness, New Start Highland employs 51 people, provides training places to over 100 people each year with each achieving a qualification, and delivers a wide range of work experience placements and volunteering opportunities. In the last year over 50 long-term unemployed people secured sustainable employment as a result of participating in the New Start Highland support and training service. Its aims encompass person-focused services enabling people to realise their potential and champion re-use in local communities. It provides a range of volunteering opportunities through which individuals from all walks of life - including people who benefit from the services it provides - can be involved positively in the life of the community. Vocational qualifications have been introduced, allowing trainees to gain a qualification whilst having good practical work experience and structured support, providing the best chance of full-time work and a better future. This covers 12 full-time paid trainees and 100 other training places per year. The social enterprise s wider activities also include support services for tenants facing a number of challenging issues. New Start Highland has a chain of retail outlets in Highland, provides a bike recycling and training service, provides a decorating service that facilitates the re-use of paint, runs an enterprise centre as well as a wide range of other growing services. It collects around 700-750 tonnes of household items per year for refurbishment and re-use. It has both furniture and electrical repair and refurbishment workshops, where items can be repaired and tested before re-sale or re-distribution. page 4

: Bulky Waste Re-use and Recycling Highland Council Re-use Partners Acharacle Community Company Acharacle Community Company is a small organisation relying on two part-time workers and volunteers. The SLA target tonnage is less than 30 tonnes per annum for 2011/12. The community company leases a storage shed in Acharacle to run the furniture re-use project for the whole West Lochaber area. It owns a van to collect and deliver goods. The re-use project hires local village halls, day centres or schools to run workshops for the wider community in villages within the Ardnamurchan area. The company has also run training projects in traditional skills, IT skills, business development skills, local food and craft produce, food hygiene, first aid, cultural projects, and has hosted conferences and events. The project has approximately 25 volunteers. Three quarters of volunteers have some form of disability or are elderly or disadvantaged. The group is also involved in community composting, allotments and stimulating the local economy. Payment for performance The council has been working with the third sector across Highland for many years, supporting local groups best able to deal with those waste materials the council could not manage as practically or cost effectively. This long association has helped the social enterprises develop financially, so that they can move away from a grant-based regime towards performance-based reward. The third sector has responded to this and become more commercially orientated in their delivery, whilst maintaining their social objectives. This has been a key driver and success factor for both the council and the social enterprises involved. SLA benefits The council believes that the working relationship developed through the SLAs will encourage the social enterprises to jointly develop re-use for other materials, such as mattresses and carpets. It has also led to consideration being given to the establishment of re-use shops at council sites, following positive experience of community containers at HWRCs. To date, space limitations have constrained this, although New Start Highland has opened a shop at Fort William adjoining the council s depot. Member support Council officers have been fully supported by members, who agreed to continue funding activities. They recognise the important contribution of social enterprises in supporting local communities and the local economy, plus the wider social benefits of working closely with otherwise socially excluded and harder-to-reach community groups. page 5

: Bulky Waste Re-use and Recycling Highland Council Re-use Partners Achievements By working with several social enterprises, the council has near total area coverage of bulky re-use services running alongside its chargeable in-house service. Each of its 23 HWRCs and depot sites has some form of re-use for WEEE. During 2009/10 the social sector partners contributed 2,418 tonnes diversion from landfill (adding 1.5% to the council s recycling/re-use rate), not including the WEEE tonnages handled via the Repic WEEE compliance scheme. Significant jobs, volunteering activities, work experience and support to disadvantaged groups has resulted from the SLAs. By working across council departments, including waste, social services and housing, wider benefits for the local community have been achieved supporting tenants, the disadvantaged, the unemployed and the disabled. The Highland Council Andy Hume, waste management officer T 01349 868 614 E andy.hume@highland.gov.uk Aid Caithness & Sutherland T 01847 890 696 or 01847 891 300 (Thurso) T 01955 603 833 (Wick) W www.homeaid.org.uk Blythswood Care T 01349 830 777 W www.blythswood.org New Start Highland T 01463 715 615 E furniture@newstarthighland.org W www.newstarthighland.org ILM Highland T 01349 884 774 E transform@ilmhighland.co.uk W www.ilmhighland.co.uk Acharacle Community Company T 01967 431508 W www.crns.org.uk/member/acharacle While we have tried to make sure this guide is accurate, we cannot accept responsibility or be held legally responsible for any loss or damage arising out of or in connection with this information being inaccurate, incomplete or misleading. This material is copyrighted. You can copy it free of charge as long as the material is accurate and not used in a misleading context. You must identify the source of the material and acknowledge our copyright. You must not use material to endorse or suggest we have endorsed a commercial product or service. For more details please see our terms and conditions on our website at www.wrap.org.uk Waste & Resources Action Programme Helpline freephone: 0808 100 2040 www.wrap.org.uk E-mail: info@wrap.org.uk page page 6