Saturday 29 April 2017
A local charity that trains young islanders with social and communication problems for work will benefit from a new scheme that aims to reduce waste and give unwanted items a new lease of life.
GO (Giving Opportunities to Guernsey's Young People), which has two shops on the Bridge, has teamed up with the States to launch a new repair and reuse service. This will initially be on a six month trial basis, but is intended to become a permanent arrangement.
The charity will receive items dropped off at the Longue Hougue Recycling Facility which are still in good condition or repairable. Any repairs or refurbishment will be carried out by GO, and the items sold on to help fund its activities.
It is hoped this will create new job opportunities and skills development for islanders that GO works with. Other local charities could also benefit if salvaged items can be passed on.
By involving local charity in the new scheme, the States is aiming to develop the reuse element of the site.
At present, anything not in good working order is sent for recycling or disposal. Last year, more than 1,000 tonnes of materials were recycled through the site. It is hoped more of these items can be repaired or refurbished by the charity, and put back to use.
GO Chairperson Sarah Bamford said:
'GO is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and we are delighted to be working with the States of Guernsey on this project. It is further proof that the young people we help can make a hugely valuable contribution to society if they are given a chance. This is a significant and very exciting 'step up' for GO and we are pleased to be playing our part in achieving the important re-use and recycle targets that the States have set and we hope the initial trial period is a success.'
Recycling officer Tina Norman-Ross said partnering with the third sector had a number of benefits.
'We want to encourage and increase reuse, and currently there are a lot of items which we cannot find a new home for because they are broken in some way. Ideally we would like to see more of these items repaired and given a new lease of life, and if that also benefits local causes that is a huge bonus,' she said.
'There are a number of similar, very successful reuse partnerships between local councils and not-for-profit organisations elsewhere. As well as helping to reduce waste, they provide employment opportunities for people to learn skills like carpentry, painting, and electrical repairs. By involving the third sector, all the cost does not fall on taxpayers.'
The new arrangement will begin next week, following the reopening of the Longue Hougue recycling facility this Saturday (29 April). That has moved to a new temporary location, to make way for a new purpose-built Household Waste and Recycling Centre.
Islanders will be able to drop off any items or materials that were previously accepted at the facility prior to its relocation. However there will no longer be a public scavenging area, while the trial is underway and to enable staff to become familiar with operations at the new location.
Depending on how the trial goes, a public scavenging facility could be reintroduced in the future. In the meantime, islanders can let GO know if they are looking for a particular item, and if the charity come across one they will get in touch.
The States is providing up to £25,000 for the trial, to underwrite the charity's costs, but if the trial is successful it is hoped the service will eventually become self-funding.
