BRUMCAN OPENS NEW DEPOT TO COPE WITH INCREASE IN CITY RECYCLING

Birmingham based recycling charity Brumcan opens the doors to its new depot this week with a promise to continue to increase recycling levels in the city.

The overriding success of Brumcan's recycling initiatives targeting households, local businesses and schools in the area forced organisers to look for larger premises to cope with the increase in demand.

The new depot at Mount Street Business Park in Nechells will provide the charity with much needed extra storage and handling space, and will enable them to continue to provide weekly doorstep collection and recycling services for up to 16,000 households.

Clare Short, MP for Birmingham will officially open the new depot at 10.30 a.m. on Friday 23rd April.

As the event coincides with St. George's day, Clare will also help to launch a children's recycling competition by ceremoniously slaying a 'wasteful' dragon sculpture filled with aluminium and steel cans. Local children will then race to pick up the cans and separate them into two "good" recycling dragons. The first team to fill their good dragon will be announced the victor! Three top local business recyclers will also be commended during the event with each receiving a small tree grown from seed to represent their positive contributions to environmental protection by recycling with Brumcan.

Lorna Langdon, General Manager of Brumcan said: "The new depot will enable us to continue to develop the recycling services and awareness campaigns and in turn contribute to achieving the city's overall recycling targets. In just twelve months we have seen an 800% increase in the number of households benefiting from our doorstep collection service, and we plan to further increase the work we do to provide greater recycling services throughout Birmingham."

Brumcan relies on funding from a number of environmental organisations including The Onyx Environmental Trust who awarded the charity £67,068 through the Landfill Tax Credit Schemes to develop a series of multi-cultural waste action plans to enable the spread of recycling services throughout the city.

Brumcan relies on funding from a number of environmental organisations including The Onyx Environmental Trust who awarded the charity £67,068 through the Landfill Tax Credit Schemes to develop a series of multi-cultural waste action plans to enable the spread of recycling services throughout the city.

For more information contact: Lorna Langdon on 0121 328 2020 or visit the website on www.brumcan.co.uk

ENDS.

Notes to Editors :

1. Brumcan is a leading community recycling charity, providing innovative and unique recycling services across Birmingham and Solihull. Established in 1991 by Friends of the Earth and CSV Environment, Brumcan integrates environmental education with community outreach and practical recycling activities. All profits are ploughed back into educational works. For more information about the organisation please see our website www.brumcan.co.uk or contact Lorna Langdon, General Manager on 0121 326 3061 (day) or lorna@brumcan.co.uk

2. For more information about the household recycling collections please contact Claire Atkins Recycling Co-Ordinator on 0121 326 3060 or e-mail claire@brumcan.co.uk .