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Reuse

Encouraging users to become reusers

Far too many goods get thrown away just because people want to move on to the next thing. These perfectly serviceable items can be reused if only there was a process for them to be put back into circulation.

Resource Futures carries out a lot of work in this area, communicating the benefits to the environment of reusing rather than recycling or simply throwing away.

We also support others in this field, such as:

  • Local  Action Groups to increase  awareness of waste issues and increase the amount of ‘waste’ that we reuse. For instance, in Oxfordshire we support the local communicty action groups to hold an annual county-wide swap-shop day
     
  • Community RePaint, managed by us, provides an innovative solution to the 56 million litres of paint left unused in the UK each year. Surplus paint from retailers, householders, and painting and decorating companies is passed on to charities, voluntary organisations and community groups, for decorating premises such as village halls or youth clubs

Bulky waste? We can shoulder the load.

Another area where we have experience is in the reuse of bulky waste, such as furniture or white goods. In fact our expertise in this area has informed national good practice guidelines and helped local authorities to manage their bulky waste effectively. We have provided consultancy support to nearly twenty local authorities, covering many important aspects of bulky waste management, such as:

  • Assessing the costs and benefits of operating different types of bulky waste services
     
  • Ensuring your bulky waste collections are used effectively
     
  • Increasing awareness of how bulky waste collections contribute to your recycling targets
  • Assessing the percentage of reusable and recyclable waste, and the numbers and tonnage of different types of items in the bulky waste stream
  • Complying with new legislation that affects bulky waste

  

Project Synopses

Resource Futures helps WRAP understand recent reductions in food waste

Resource Futures has recently helped WRAP to estimate how much household food waste has decreased nationally in recent years, with the recently published “Synthesis of Food Waste Compositional Data 2010” 

Best estimates ever of what’s in our rubbish

Defra has published a study carried out by Resource Futures which provides the best estimates to date of what’s in the ‘national rubbish bin’.

Research into reuse of household items through online portals

In 2011, Resource Futures carried out WRAP funded research into how household items are reused through online portals such as eBay, Freegle and Gumtree.  The research included a detailed survey on internet user habits regarding online exchange and sought to understand the reasons for not using such sites.  

News and Events

Community RePaint: A Helping Hand for Hearts and Minds in 2011

In 2011, householders, traders and paint manufacturers donated 343,957 litres of paint to Community RePaint schemes, which then distributed 217,112 litres to community groups and individuals saving 565 tonnes of CO2 – the equivalent of taking 192 cars off our roads - and providing 766 volunteer and training opportunities. The network now has over 65 schemes across the UK and with four new schemes about to start at the beginning of 2012.    

Resource Futures seeks new Non-Executive Chair

Following restructuring during 2011 Resource Futures is now looking to strengthen its Board with a new Non-Executive Chair.  The company is forecasting a three-fold increase in its profit from 2% in the year ended March 2010 to 6% for the year ending March 2012.  The new position will join Chief Executive Officer Jane Stephenson MBE and Operations Director Sam Reeve, bringing independent scrutiny and advice to this successful business at Board level. 

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