Veolia is launching a new reuse scheme to help community groups, schools and charities across the Liverpool City Region access much-needed materials by giving a second life to items dropped off at local Recycling Centres.
This March, Veolia is calling on community groups to submit an application to adopt the GoodBox and be supported by Merseyside residents’ donations.
Veolia, the UK’s largest resource management company, is working in partnership with Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA) to introduce The GoodBox - a colourful reuse container that will travel between Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) to support projects across Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral.
Residents will see the brightly painted GoodBox pop up at their local HWRC and are encouraged to donate items and materials they no longer need to support local community projects taking part in the scheme.
The GoodBox will stay at each HWRC for one to two months and a chalkboard will be displayed on it detailing the community group being supported and the materials needed for their cause. This could be arts and crafts materials for a local school, tools and building materials for a local gardening project, or textiles for community sewing initiatives.
Reuse is even better for the planet than recycling as it keeps materials in use for longer, reducing the need to manufacture new items, which is often carbon-intensive. The GoodBox itself is a refurbished container that was destined for scrap before being saved and decorated with paint provided by social enterprise Reciprocity Wirral, who give leftover and surplus paint a new lease of life.
Community groups, schools and charities across the Liverpool City Region who could benefit from donated items are invited to apply to adopt the GoodBox. To find out more, submit an application or see when the GoodBox will be popping up near you, visit: www.merseyside-and-halton.veolia.co.uk/goodbox
Paul Cannon, General Manager at Veolia, said:
We see so many good quality items and materials brought to our Recycling Centres that could easily be reused rather than recycled.
The GoodBox is a simple way to connect those items directly with the local schools, charities and community groups that need them most. It’s about turning things people no longer want into a valuable resource for our communities, and we’re excited to see the projects that come forward.
The initiative aims to increase the number of items reused across the Liverpool City Region, while helping local community projects access the resources they need to thrive.
Lesley Worswick, Chief Executive of Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority, said:
We’re absolutely delighted to be working in partnership with Veolia to give our residents’ unwanted items a new lease of life. The GoodBox is a fantastic way to show that one person’s spring clean can be another person’s gold mine. By working together, we’re making it easier than ever to keep good-quality materials in circulation.
