Brumcan Services

(1) Waste reduction planning for local schools through the Schools Waste Action Zones (SWAZ) Project

The Project's aim is to provide exciting and innovative curriculum activities, designed to encourage and promote waste minimisation, reuse and recycling in Birmingham Primary Schools. The core programme is designed to assess current waste management within the school and lead to the establishment of a comprehensive school waste reduction plan. Additional activities offer comprehensive practical workshops designed to encourage the 3R's, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle and have strong cross-curricular links including science, maths, literacy, numeracy, geography, and citizenship. The SWAZ Project is currently funded by Biffaward and supported by Birmingham City Council.

Examples of workshops include:

'Introduction to Waste', an introduction to the different types of waste and different places it ends up, including a practical activity for pupils to make masks out of reusable resources.

'Paper Making & Paper Models', a practical activity, highlighting the environmental benefits of recycling. It also includes making wizards and princesses out of reusable sheets of paper.

'Drama & Debate', a multi-media workshop looking at mining aluminium in the tropical rainforests. It focuses on the preservation and protection of the natural environment.

Contact the School Project Officer for further details on 0121 326 3065 or email alison@brumcan.co.uk

(2) Community involvement through the Neighbourhood Waste Action (NWA) Project.

This project is concerned with supporting the efforts of the largely ethnic minority community in south east Birmingham to reduce the problems of waste and rubbish in their area. It has done this by making a major impact the following areas:

· Providing better access to existing recycling services

· Offering support for self-help initiatives

· Promoting awareness campaigns

· Developing new recycling services

· Providing awards/recognition for good practice

Brumcan are developing and extending this work with this community, and are now rolling out the model of good practice to other neighbourhoods as well. It is envisaged that this work will lead to the facilitated production of neighbourhood level waste reduction plans. These plans will be designed by and with the involvement of each of the communities concerned, and will recommend local solutions to tackling waste in a sustainable way.

A subsidised home composter delivery service is available to residents living in the designated project neighbourhoods, in a bid to encourage waste minimisation activities in the home. Bins are currently priced at £5 - £15 each.

For more information about our community outreach programme or to order a compost bin please contact the Waste Action Coordinator on 0121 326 3064.

As a part of this education and awareness raising we have developed The Waste Watchers Pack. This is self-help guide to understanding the significance of becoming better recyclers. It aims to help you help yourself effectively manage your household waste. Just about anyone can make use of this pack and realise that its not really as hard as you might think. All you need to do is take advantage of the useful tips, help hints, and easy to use resources provided in this pack, and you'll be well on your way to becoming a recycling champion, and if you are ever stuck we are only a phone call away.

Latest Newsletter

Neighbourhood Waste Reduction Plan for Moseley

Neighbourhood Waste Reduction Plan for Small Heath

View English, Urdu and Bengali poster (pdf)

Download-The Waste Watchers Pack

(3) Commercial collections of waste materials for re-use &/or recycling from offices.

A customer base of about 150 has been built up over the past 8 years. Customers include local schools, businesses, charities, voluntary, youth and community groups from across the City.

200 tonnes of waste materials from Birmingham offices were diverted from the waste-stream for re-use &/or recycling during 2005.  

The materials collected include :

• Used drinks cans
• Aluminium foil.
• High quality office white paper.
• Mixed, lower grade papers such as newspapers and magazines.
• Used laser/ink-jet printer cartridges.
• Old / unwanted mobile phones

All indoor and outdoor recycling equipment such as boxes bins and bags can be provided, and regular collections are made by prior arrangement. An additional security destruction service is also offered, which complements the office-recycling programme. All interested customers receive an Information Pack and Registration Pack, which gives the customer information about who Brumcan is, what services are provided, how the service works and what the costs are.

Brumcan are always keen to provide added value to members of this scheme, especially by investigating the feasibility of extending the range of materials the organisation can collect for recycling.

(4) Domestic collections of dry waste materials for re-use &/or recycling.

Brumcan is keen to work with local authorities and residents to maximise the amount of recycling from householders and has been working with Birmingham City Council since 2002 to provide a unique door step collection service through the Waste and Resources Partnership Project - a growing network of neighbourhood based recycling schemes.

Multi-materials (paper, glass bottles and jars, food and drinks cans, foil, textiles and shoes, mobile phones and laser/ink-jet cartridges) kerbside collections are currently made from 12,000 households every week across south east Birmingham (Moseley, Small Heath, Bordesley Green and South Yardley)(May 2006). These satellite, neighbourhood based schemes involve a high level of community involvement as they are being developed in partnership with neighbourhood based groups and the infrastructure used allows for a high interaction between trained collection operatives and householders on the door-step.

In addition to a regular collection service from houses, Brumcan also provide a dedicated Estates Recycling service with special Mini Recycling Centres (MRCs).

Brumcan offer all its Community Partners a 50% cash-back incentive from the recycling profits for local environmental and educational projects. These services rely soley on short-term grant income to operate. For more information on the schemes please contact the Recycling Helpline on 0121 326 3060

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