Highlights from the CRNS 5th Annual Conference – More Than Recycling 2010
Introduction
The vice chair of CRNS, James Dunbar, helped to kick off More Than Recycling 2010 by announcing the launch of three INCREASE funding strands of interest to CRNS members: INCREASE Small, INCREASE Capacity Student Placement, and the brand new INCREASE Potential that reflects the movement of the sector towards higher standards by making external expertise available to the sector.
James quoted Iain Gulland who had addressed attendees at the CRNS 5th Annual Awards dinner the night before, saying that the CRNS is at the heart of Zero Waste Scotland and that Zero Waste Scotland programme will work with us to create maximum benefit. Then he pointed out the importance of shouting loud the work of the community recycling sector.
He said: “As a sector we tend to hide our light under a bushel. It’s no longer a time to be self-effacing. Instead it’s time to speak up and tell people about the good work we do. We need to show professionalism and confidence so that people will take us seriously. We all need to change and adapt to serve our communities. It’s time to be radical, resourceful and resilient.”
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Patrick Harvie, MSP, Scottish Green Party
Patrick emphasised the importance of the link between social justice and environmental activism. “Part of the link we need to get across is that environmental activism and environmentalism is not something abstract, it’s something that affects people and countries. If we can make the link between people and environment, we’ll get shared ownership over it. Community leadership can lead the way,” he said.
“It’s about what happens from the ground upwards. Government needs to support and empower but it’s what happens at local and community level that will start to make a difference. The trend to an individualistic and consumerist society is not natural it’s the result of government and economic choices.
“Economic growth can’t last forever. The function of co-operative, relationship building between communities I think nurtures human life and make it worth living.”
Leslie Wilson, environmentalist, Minnesota, USA
Leslie talked at length about the issues around extended producer responsibility (also known as product stewardship).
“We need to take a step back from recycling because there’s another story we need to be looking at,” she said. “I see a world with no waste; a world where packaging becomes a soil nutrient when it’s finished with. Where the fibres of my children’s clothes keep them warm and don’t make them sick…We’re surrounded by the genius that can make this happen. Three billion years of research and design in nature around us.”
Leslie ran through some sobering figures. In Minnesota, recycling rates have been stagnant for ten years. The state spends $1billion on waste, of which $50million is given to people trying to prevent waste. In terms of damaging greenhouse gases, products and packaging accounts for 44% of emissions.
After going into some detail regarding the problem with plastic and its pervasiveness in the world’s oceans and garbage bins, she introduced extended producer responsibility and the thinking behind cradle to cradle design that internalises the cost of clean up into the products.
One of Leslie’s key points was the need for government to get out of the picture when it comes to dealing with waste. “Local government willingness to clean up waste implies support for the producers of stuff,” she said. “We need a cyclical system with government not in the circle. Government’s role then changes from collecting and taking care of waste to governing and ensuring the system is working properly.”
She pointed out that true product stewardship means giving producers total responsibility. Hr speech was backed up by her experience working in the field of paint recycling and paint stewardship in the state of Minnesota. She summarised her experiences as a set of learning points for people in the UK.
1. Write a bill. Don’t waste time talking
2. Don’t put a consumer fee into law
3. Put in targets – rates, dates and audits
4. Say no to status quo
5. Become leaders
6. Set up a group
7. Partner with others – health industry, water people, schools – to ensure you make consistent laws
At the moment, she said, governments are being too soft, and current laws and systems are not getting it right.
Rachel Dunk, Crichton Carbon Centre
Rachel started of by saying that a lot of carbon reduction is aimed at big businesses because that’s where the easy wins. It’s easy for big companies to make cost savings by saving on carbon. However, the need to reduce emissions is huge for everyone and therefore there’s a need to engage with SMEs and communities. She reminded the audience that we should be aiming to reduce our carbon output from ten tonnes to two tonnes.
At the Crichton Carbon Centre, they are striving to be practical as possible. “We’re trying to find out what actually works and training carbon champions within organisations,” she said. “We try to get everyone involved with coming up with ideas and then put these into action plan.”
She pointed out that some local authorities are not replacing landfill with low emission options and that there needs to be some joining of the dots. She also responded to naysayers who say that recycling uses too much energy, saying that recycling aluminium achieves big savings to mining virgin material.
Rachel highlighted the importance of grass roots movement in light of legislation failure, and called out for innovative solutions to stop us squandering valuable resources.
But she did point out that she doesn’t like appealing to people on the money saving angle. “If you save money on energy and then spend it on a holiday then you’ve not really done anything,” she said.
Sepp Eisenriegler, president of RREUSE and RUSZ
Sepp explained how the push and promotion of reuse in Vienna created a new understanding and demand for repair services. They conducted research and discovered there was a higher potential for reuse than first thought and from that they built up a up a common network with a corporate brand identity. They made use of the media, scientists and politicians to build awareness of the network, which helped to increase the turnover of reuse shops by more than the number of extra goods sold.
“Marketing very important for our sector,” he said “I want to tell you that because I didn’t think it myself at one time.”
The reuse network in Vienna also spawned Trash Design Manufaktur in Vienna, where designers and manufacturers make unique products from waste. This has already turned into a cash cow.
Afternoon panel
Those on the panel were asked for one message that they hoped people would take home with them.
1. I invite members of CRNS to visit us and see what you can achieve if you unite forces – Marc Willem
2. As social organisations we can be as professional as anyone – Javier Mendoza
3. Eat what you buy. And if you can do anything in your communities to handle food waste, do it – Rachel Dunk
4. Buy only designs that don’t lead to waste. And get Scotland to introduce Framework Product Stewardship legislation – Leslie Wilson
5. Go for ministries of social economies all over the world, now – Sepp Eiseriegler
6. We are part of the problem but also part of the solution. We pay our taxes but we’re letting government get away with doing the wrong things – Pauline Hinchion
A final contribution came from the day’s energetic and entertaining facilitator, Peter Woodward: “The co-op saved eight tonnes of plastic by not having cucumbers in plastic,” he told delegates, while brandishing an unpackaged cucumber.
