London CRN key achievements for 2005-6:

• Enquiries from the public and private sectors                                      1,045                          
• Consultancy services completed                                              Worth £137,895
• Individuals and groups referred to community groups                        605                   
• Events held                                                                                          29                                       
• People trained                                                                                       50                                            
• Funding leveraged                                                                              £604,130
• Jobs Created                                                                                        13
• Jobs Safeguarded                                                                                 64                   
• Community organisations assisted with funding applications              49                         
• Diverted tonnage from landfill                                                               50,000

providing information
London CRN seeks to ensure that its members are kept up to date with the latest recycling and funding news. To this end, it produces a weekly recycling e-news round up and monthly funding e-news, in addition to a quarterly members’ newsletter. By providing this information, uniquely tailored to its members needs, London CRN enables them to save both time and money that would otherwise be spent researching the information.

London CRN provides regular recycling news information to:

• 158       Local Authority Officers
• 1700     Councillors
• 503       Community Recyclers and others working in the sector

creating opportunities
Since September 2004, London CRN has trained a network of volunteers to provide composting support. They’ve proved to be a valuable resource – not only as an advice and support service to householders who are composting or want to compost, but also in providing volunteering time to groups. Additionally two of the volunteers have already taken steps towards setting up their own community composting groups. The volunteers contributed over 100 hours of their time to the composting project between September and December 2004.

capacity building
London CRN takes great pride in assisting and supporting community groups to aim higher and expand their services. Through 2004 the Network has facilitated the development of the Croydon Appliance Reuse Centre (ARC). This pioneering partnership between three local community groups and LB Croydon is the first of its kind in London. Currently still in its early stages, the centre will expand to become a community sector-led public service provider, creating 16 paid jobs, 10 training placements a year and a wide range of volunteering opportunities. 

improving business practices
As part of its drive to improve the business practices of its members, London CRN has held a wide range of training events over the past year. These have focused on enhancing members’ business systems and procedures, to enable them to be better prepared to enter into service delivery for local authorities.

lobbying and representation
One of London CRN’s key remits is to represent the needs of its members. With this in mind, it successfully lobbied the North London Waste Authority and the constituent authorities for flexibility in the forms of collection systems imposed on the Boroughs.

increasing recycling rates
London Borough of Hackney was one of the poorest performing local authorities in London, with a recycling rate of just 2.6 percent in 2002. London CRN provided a range of consultancy work, including data modelling of its existing and potential kerbside participation as well as a door-knocking tender consultation. In 2006, the borough showed a recycling rate of 16.21 percent, which represents a more than a six-fold increase. Hackney has now introduced compulsory recycling.