News
INCREASE II Funding Allocated...
Due to the considerable success of the INCREASE Programme, the final application deadline was announced in September 2006. A grand total of 113 projects have been awarded INCREASE II funding including 76 small and 37 strategic applications. The full list of small and strategic funded projects are displayed on the website (click here).Please note, therefore, that the INCREASE Programme will not be accepting further funding applications.
Landfill Diversion: Community Sector Will Deliver…
Since March 2006, INCREASE-funded community organisations aim to divert 36,419 tonnes of waste from landfill. There are many opportunities for community recycling throughout Scotland, and these latest figures illustrate the importance of the sector to the delivery of a sustainable waste management strategy for Scotland.
Launchpad: helping to reduce the carbon footprint in sport…
The INCREASE Programme were invited to Launchpad Training and Enterprise in October to promote their INCREASE-funded project to recycle sports equipment such as skis, snowboards and golf clubs. |
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The recycled goods are to be sold or given away to community groups. The story appeared on the BBC website. Click here to read the full story.
KIBBLE Scoop Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce Award…
On the 10th November 2006, Kibble won the ROCCO Award for Corporate Social Responsibility. This recognised their contribution to the local community in terms of social, environmental and economic outcomes. |
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Click here to read the full story.
Projects Summaries
We caught up with some of our projects to find out how they plan to use INCREASE funding…
Perth and Kinross Real Nappy Network: £9,057 Awarded (March 2006)
Perth & Kinross Real Nappy Network has been established for over four years (constituted in October 2003).
It’s primary aim is:
Perth & Kinross Real Nappy Network currently employs a part-time Project Officer who is charged with raising-awareness of, and encouraging greater usage of real nappies. After successfully running a real nappy trial pack incentive scheme in 2005-2006, Perth & Kinross Real Nappy Network is now, with the help of the INCREASE award, able to extend this scheme by making available a further 200 real nappy incentive packs.
The main objective of the Real Nappy Trial Pack Incentive Scheme is to distribute 200 trial packs of washable nappies to households in the Perth & Kinross local authority area as an incentive to increase the use of washable nappies. The packs, for which a £10 administrative fee will be charged, will contain samples of the main types of washable nappies currently on the market, making it easier for parents to make the switch to real nappies.
The INCREASE funding will be used to:
- Purchase the contents of the nappy packs
- Produce accompanying literature to raise-awareness about the scheme
- Divert 50 tonnes of waste from landfill
- Demonstrate a financial benefit to parents by switching to washable nappies
The scheme will be fully evaluated and measures such as: the number of packs distributed; reasons why households wish to try real nappies; the impact of the trial pack on future behaviour; rating the usefulness of the trial pack and the percentage of households that continue to use real nappies in the long term, will be investigated.
We asked Perth & Kinross Real Nappy Network how the INCREASE Funding will help the economic stability of the organisation:
"Evaluation of the first phase of this scheme demonstrated clearly the importance of being able to offer interested householders the opportunity to try out real nappies with minimal financial outlay and in an accessible way. The scheme also offers a significant opportunity for publicity and raising awareness of the issues surrounding the use of real nappies."
BTCV Scotland Ltd - Action Recycle Selling “Whitestuff” & “Brownstuff” Recycled Animal Bedding: £30,000 Awarded (September 2006)
BTCV Scotland was set up in 1959 as a registered charity. Action Recycle is a project within BTCV which carries out considerable environmental and community activities relating to recycling and waste minimisation work across central Scotland. Action Recycle have 16 full time members of staff.
The INCREASE project aims, on a monthly basis, to sell 100 tonnes of paper and cardboard animal bedding to stables, feedstock merchants, pet shops and dairy farmers. The raw material sourced from existing collections and over-run card, will be shredded and have the dust removed, and then packed into 20kg bags to sell across Scotland. The funding will be used to employ one project co-ordinator / salesperson for an initial 12-month contract. The paper and card that will be diverted from landfill will total 480 tonnes over the lifetime of the project funding.
Marketing and selling animal bedding will help establish a new potentially significant income source for Action Recycle and therefore improve financial diversity and stability. At a sales level of 100 tonnes per month, Action Recycle will be creating additional turnover of around £180,000 per year, almost doubling current turnover. It will also create new job opportunities for machinery operatives, collectors and drivers.
The Furniture Project (Stranraer) Ltd: £20,799 Awarded
The Furniture Project (Stranraer) Ltd, commonly known as the Furniture Project, was founded in 1997 by a group of local activists with enthusiasm to divert and re-use bulky waste from landfill to benefit local people who have a low income.
This has created a social business that has spread across Wigtownshire. Since this time, a second centre has opened in Newton Stewart to ensure services are consistently delivered throughout the county. The new centre has provided access to placements for people in isolated rural communities as well as the urban conurbations.
The Furniture Project provides placements for a range of client groups including volunteers, community service volunteers, New Deal and ‘Get Ready for Work’ trainees in addition to supported employment placements. Over and above the furniture collection and redistribution service, a removal, construction and export service is in operation as well as the sub-letting of premises to partners in the voluntary sector.
The funding from INCREASE will form an essential part of the business plan, pay the full salary of the Deputy Manager and match fund the Workshop Technician over a two-year period. Collectively, these employees will work with a cross spectrum of people who live within the locality, to facilitate their developmental needs and learning aspirations. The majority of people that undertake placements have been affected by social exclusion, mental ill ness or involved in criminal activities or drug misuse.
The project has projected to divert some 260 tonnes of bulky waste from landfill over the duration of the agreement with INCREASE and we recognise that without this type of partnership approach across statutory, private and voluntary sectors this could not be achieved.
We asked The Furniture Project how the INCREASE funding will help the economic stability of the organisation.
"This source of funding has provided scope for the Furniture Project to continue it’s development-creating resources to explore alternative options such as the provision of additional services, wood recycling, starter packs (for people moving into new tenancies), capital purchase (buying our premises) and partnerships to share costs and reduce expense. This can only have a direct benefit to the community we service through efficient sustainable service provision. Increasing the range of services we provide makes us more sustainable financially, morally, politically, socially, economically and environmentally."
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INCREASE Monitoring Visits in 2007…
The INCREASE Programme will visit a percentage of all active INCREASE projects in 2007. We look forward to monitoring the progress of INCREASE-funded projects.
INCREASE I Evaluation Report available online…
In June 2006, each successful INCREASE I (2004 / 2006) applicant was sent an electronic evaluation form for completion. This was to determine 'actual' project outcomes and to ascertain the applicants' views on the administration of the INCREASE Programme. The data has been collated and is now available to view in the INCREASE I Evaluation Report. Thanks to all groups who returned their evaluation forms.
The document can be accessed from the INCREASE website. Click here to view the Report.
Feedback…
Visit the website:
www.increase-programme.org.uk/
Disclaimer
This e-bulletin makes every effort to provide correct information at the time of distribution, but does not itself constitute a definitive guide to any issues mentioned in it.
Issue No.3/INCREASE II/Jan/2007 |
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