Bradford Environmental Action Trust is developing projects to bring about action on the waste hierarchy with the aim of changing attitudes and behaviour patterns to reduce waste at source, recycle and reuse where possible and to reduce fly-tipping and littering.

Bradford Environmental Action Trust is also seeking to create opportunities from waste through supporting existing recycling/reuse enterprises and promoting partnerships to establish new initiatives.

Why is Bradford Environmental Action Trust doing this?

Waste is one of the most important environmental issues facing Bradford district at present. In terms of domestic waste in 2001 - 204,500 tonnes of household waste was generated from 197,000 households. The cost of collection and disposal of this at £77 per tonne represents a significant financial burden on council tax payers in the district of £15.74 million. This is not to mention the environmental costs of transportation and landfilling of this waste, none of which is currently being disposed of in the district.

In addition, businesses and industry in the district produce roughly five times this amount of waste and the construction and demolition sector produces three times as much. This amounts to approximately 1.6 million tonnes per annum. For industrial and commercial waste the cost of collection and disposal is approximately £50 per tonne. Waste is therefore costing the local economy at least £50 million per annum. At present there are very few facilities to treat and recycle industrial and commercial waste in the district and most of this waste stream is currently landfilled at sites outside the district.

Our current waste projects are:

BRADFORD WASTE FORUM - Creating Opportunity From Waste

This two year funded programme (ending March 2005) is bringing together organisations, businesses and other agencies with the aim of developing existing practical recycling projects to their full potential and to bring to fruition ambitious new partnership waste projects.

Bradford Waste Forum's aims are to:

- Support and promote existing sustainable waste initiatives

- Assist in the establishment of new practical recycling and reuse schemes

- Create training and employment opportunities

- Offer advice on funding and project development issues

Bradford Waste Forum offers:

- Networking meetings on various waste related topics

- Advice service

Achievements So Far:

- Production of Bradford's Little Green Recycling guide

- Start of negotiation on a Recycling Credit Scheme for community recycling projects

- Recruitment of Yorkshire's first Real Nappy Development Worker

- Advised and supported over 30 groups

- Established the Pennine Waste Exchange service

There is also a new project awaiting funding which is Waste Related Work - information as follows:

MAGIC - Manningham & Girlington Inspired Communities

"A project to improve grassroots involvement in sustainable waste management"

If the funding bids are successful this project will recruit two community outreach workers and a project manager who will work with local volunteers to implement a programme of community waste action in the Manningham and Girlington areas.

This will incorporate a waste reduction club, which will provide incentives (waste related goodies or vouchers) for households to commit to a 25% reduction in their families' waste over the life of the project.

Other activities will include consultation over kerbside recycling services and establishment of new recycling sites, running art workshops, community cleanups, waste action days, play projects work within schools and any other projects identified by the community.

The basic aims of the project are:

- To make long term improvements to the local environmental quality of the target area in terms of littering

- To enable marginalised local people to have a greater input into decision-making over sustainable waste issues in the district

- To improve the quantity and quality of material being deposited for recycling, reuse and composting in the target areas

- To consult on the implementation of suitable kerbside recycling services and location of new recycling sites

For further information on sustainable waste projects:

Contact: Emma Hill

Tel: 01274 718420

Email: waste@beat.org.uk