KBF Waste Minimisation Project

Feb 6, 2000

[Derek Grainger and Chris Sealey]

The Environmental work which KBF began in 1996 was set to quickly become the main focus of the organisation, bringing in hundreds of thousands of pounds in public funds and landfill tax grants.

The Waste Minimisation & Management Project began life in 1996, with backing from companies such as Yorkshire Water and BOC as well Bradford TEC and Business Link. Advising local companies on reducing or recycling waste, the scheme was a success, winning a national merit award, and soon had 60 companies subscribing.

A key player was John Dennis, an environmental consultant with the small Wigan based engineering consultants A H Leech Son & Dean. He had opened a regional office inside Cedar House and became a "partner" in the project when bids for funding were placed with the governments Department of Trade & Industry "Skills Challenge Initiative" and the local SRB.

A £200,000 3-year grant was won from the former, with a £60,000 6-year supporting grant from SRB.

It was the first of a number of linked projects, which included:

Yorkshire Business Network

- £115,000 7-year SRB scheme to provide a computer network for subscribing businesses, giving internet access and "active participation in KBF's Waste Minimisation initiative". "The network will link into and have as it's core the 'KBF Waste Minimisation project'. It will complement the Skills Challenge bid that KBF have just won regarding waste minimisation and has achieved a National Merit award for." This led to the creation of KBF's website and the associated Waste Minimisation website.

Environmental Projects program

- £260,000 5-year SRB scheme "to act as a lever to release Landfill Tax Credits to fund programs/projects that meet the EnTrust regulations." This bid included an expectation of bringing in private funding totalling £1.4 million. It was also associated with 2 Landfill Tax Grants totalling £55,000 from the Bradford Environmental Action Trust (BEAT) and was expected to tie in with the local Agenda 21 program being run by the council.

European Resource & Partnership Project

- £100,000 5-year project to build up links with European partners and "enhance benefits from the European Union". This came at a time when links with America and Europe were being cemented, particularly through KBF's Trans Atlantic Environment conference in November 1998, which was addressed by government minister John Battle MP.

The Virtual Centre of Excellence for Environmental Management

- £140,000 5-year SRB project aimed at training local residents in Environmental waste issues. This was matched to a £265,000 capital grant from the Regional Government office (now Yorkshire Forward). It was this project that would lead directly to the formation of NCEEM (The National Centre of Excellence for Environmental Management) and its split from KBF.
And although all this extra public money flooded in, little in the way of additional practical results appeared.


KBF Waste Minimisation website
Keighley Business Forum
NCEEM
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