Electrical goods recycling project wins national award

News | Community

Peterborough City Council’s Electrical Appliance Recycling Project (EARP) was voted best Electrical and Electronic Recycler of the Year in the National Recycling Awards for 2006 at a high-profile ceremony in Bournemouth last night on Wednesday 15 November.

Councillor Graham Murphy, Cabinet member for Environment and Community Safety, said: “This recognition is fantastic news and testament to how the people of Peterborough have embraced the concept of recycling electrical goods since the EARP project first opened in November 2004.”

Now in their eighth year, the National Recycling Awards are organised by Materials Recycling Week and are widely recognised as the stamp of excellence in the recycling industry. The EARP award was sponsored by the Recycling Electrical Producers’ Industry Consortium.

EARP is a partnership between the city council and Compass (Peterborough) Ltd and is aimed at increasing the city’s recycling rates. It recycles used or damaged white goods and computers either by repairing the items where possible or dismantling them and recycling the components.

The project, which is based at the Global Business Centre, off Newark Road in Fengate, also provides opportunities for people to develop new back-to-work skills, much needed within Peterborough’s industrial community. People are able to access training in electrical electronic repair and refurbishment through a range of Open College Network qualifications.

“The partnership between the city council and Compass has created a unique project, which not only provides vital training but also increases our recycling rates,” said Councillor Murphy.

“However, the success of all recycling schemes relies on the support of residents and I am proud that the people of Peterborough have enabled this facility to be recognised in this way.”

Jo Proud, quality and performance manager in environmental and public protection services at the city council, added: “The project enables trainees to gain NVQ equivalent qualifications, work on their own initiative and gain important inter-personal skills by being part of a team. The local economy benefits as does the environment with increased recycling rates and we’re thrilled to be short-listed for this award.”

The facility is a key element within the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough recycling partnership (RECAP), which achieved national Beacon status earlier this year for its exemplar work. RECAP now shares its best practice with other local authorities nationally through the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA). The Partnership includes Cambridgeshire County Council, Peterborough City Council, Cambridge City Council, East Cambridgeshire, Fenland, Huntingdonshire and South Cambridgeshire district councils.

November 2006