Date: 22 June 2007 14:22

CASH BOOST TO HELP LOCAL BUSINESSES GO GREEN
 

Waste chiefs in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have been awarded a £210,000 cash boost to act as 
trailblazers for the UK in encouraging local businesses to recycle.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Waste Partnership (RECAP), which has been awarded the money, 
will be one of the first groups in the country to find ways of helping traders reduce waste they send to landfill.
Not only will the scheme help to reduce the thousands of tonnes of rubbish that end up in landfill sites 
but will help to save businesses money.
The funds, provided by the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) programme,
will help local councils to take on a wider role to help local businesses, and particularly small 
and medium enterprises, reduce and recycle their waste. This will help make cost savings in their business 
waste charges, as stated in the new National Waste Strategy, unveiled last month by the Department of Environment, 
Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The funds provided through BREW are to establish 'trailblazer' trade recycling schemes, 
that involve cooperation between local councils, businesses, private waste companies and community groups. 
The RECAP partnership was selected as one such trailblazer to help develop best practice in collecting trade waste for recycling.
Councillor John Reynolds, Cambridgeshire County Council Lead Member for Waste and Planning, which is acting as 
the lead authority on behalf of the RECAP trailblazer partnership, said, "The RECAP partnership has been recognised 
for its excellence in recycling household waste with the award of Beacon Status in March last year, and now we will 
be able to extend this expertise and knowledge to helping local businesses recycle their waste. The Government wants 
to see councils use their influence as local community leaders to work with businesses and other organisations to 
achieve more sustainable waste management practices, and, as a leader in this field, we jumped at the chance."
The partnership will soon appoint two new staff to work with local businesses and private and public sector waste 
collectors to establish new trade recycling schemes across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
"This work with local businesses is particularly important now that the Chancellor announced a steep increase in 
landfill tax in the last budget, which will hit all company's profits if they do not reduce and recycle their waste. 
We want to see local businesses remain competitive as well as reduce their environmental impacts and so are keen to 
help them recycle through this grant", Councillor Reynolds added.
Local businesses and traders wishing to find out more about the 'trailblazer' trade recycling scheme, 
and any private waste contractors able to offer recycling services to companies in Cambridgeshire and 
Peterborough should contact Mark Shelton, Waste Policy Manager at Cambridgeshire County Council. 
Tel 01223 716026; e-mail mark.Shelton@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
For more information about waste prevention, reuse and recycling, please visit www.recap.co.uk or phone 0845 045 5207.
For more information about the BREW programme, please visit www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/brew

John Reynolds