INTERREG - Making Waste Work

WHAT IS THE INTERREG PROGRAMME?

The Interreg Making Waste Work Project comprises five European Partners:-

• Stockton on Tees
• Aaskov (Denmark)
• Falkoping (Sweden)
• Moss (Norway)
• Hamburg (Germany)

 

This project has three main aims:-

1. Increasing our technical ability to deliver sustainable waste managment strategies and increase opportunities for recycling, promoting best practice for example, at waste management facilities e.g. Civic Amenity sites, MRF's etc.
2. Exploring the possibilities for business and employment opportunities within the waste and recycling sector.  Local use for locally recycled materials etc.
3. Working with the public, especially young people, to increase awareness, understanding and motivation with relation to waste issues, especially waste minimisation and recylcing.
   
   Local Waste Management Implementation Projects that Stockton Borough Council have started to work on as part of the Making Waste Work Project are:-
   
   COMMERCIAL WASTE AS A RESOURCE - 83% of all the waste produced in UK is commercial waste. This project involves working in partnership with local businesses to identify how the waste produced can be reduced, reused or recycled.
   
   CIWM WASTE AWARENESS TRAINING CERTIFICATE - Stockton Borough Council was the first Local Authority in the UK to be accredited from The Charted Institute of Waste Management (CIWM) as a training centre to deliver the Waste Awareness Certificate.  This training qualification will enable businesses and employees to understand waste issues: deal with waste safely: reduce, re-use and recycle waste.
   
   HOME COMPOSTING - This local project is promoting home composting throughout the borough. From the start of the project 5500 units have been sold. It has been calculated that this number of compost bins will stop ca. 1375 tonnes of organic waste being sent to landfill each year
   
   REAL NAPPIES PROJECT - Promoting and encouraging the use of real nappies. 30 "price subsidised" packs have been sold to date and further packs have been ordered
   
   (CA site) HWRF IMPROVEMENTS - Improved signage on the site now directs residents to specific areas for recycling of waste. A large unit has been placed on the site. Residents with Furniture for re-use can deposit these items in the container. All reusable furniture is collected by the voluntary sector and redistributed to the local community
   
   
   
   
   
   

The Making Waste Work projects also has three major ongoing individual projects:-

Local Technical Forums. These forums are held twice a year and are used to network and work towards local partnerships between local waste management companies/local businesses.

The second project is the Young Persons Network. This project relates to waste awareness and young people. A group of ten schoolchildren from a local school are working together on waste issues with the Stockton Borough Council Making Waste Work Team.

Project number three relates to a proposed local Waste Education Centre. This is a long term project and Stockton Borough Council is working with local and European partners. Funding is being sought to build this centre. A suitable site has been located and a business plan including proposed design/layout has been completed.