Welcome to The Network

The Festive Season is almost upon us and I'm sure, like us, you are all counting the days until you can recycle your wrapping paper, compost your Christmas trees and look forward to another year of Reducing, Reusing and Recycling. To give you a helping hand we've got some information which might help with the seasonal surplus.

This edition of The Network Bulletin is packed with news, updates, resources and information.
On the education front, The Network ran the first of its sectoral events - Tried & Tested - welcoming over 100 waste education practitioners from across the country. Information on funding support now comes in the shape of Increase, the new community fund aimed at supporting recycling initiatives in Scotland. As ever, there is a substantial level of activity underway locally with a range of events and initiatives supporting waste awareness.

On a final and more festive note, The Network team at SEPA thank you for all your valuable contributions this year - to the Bulletin and to the Tried & Tested event - and we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Waste Aware New Year!

In the December Bulletin:

• Take a look at Glasgow Community Can Cycle Lottery Award winners under News, the evaluation report following The Network's recent Tried & Tested event in Stirling, and the Scottish Industrial Symbiosis Project in NWS Update.
  
  
• SEPA's Waste Data Digest 4 has been published. This contains information collected by, or on behalf of, SEPA on controlled waste in Scotland during years 2002/3. In Policy & Legislation you will also find advice on Stabilised Biowaste and on the new National Fallen Stock Scheme.
  
  
• Education, Training & Resources provides an update on current EcoSchool award status; information on Bright New Scotland's environmental education programme; links to two new Higher National units on Waste minimisation; information on the Woodland's Trust Christmas Card recycling scheme; SEPA's Guide to Consigning Special Waste; an update from the Community Recycling Network for Scotland; news on how SEPA is becoming greener; and what's in the latest SEPA View.
  
  
• Strategic Waste Fund updates and information on support for Waste Reduction initiatives can be found in the Funding section, alongside information on the new Increase community fund.
  
  
• Information on local and national events can be found in the latest Envirevents bulletin under the Events section.
  
  
• Get on the campaign trail with Waste Aware Scotland and find out what campaigns are running where.
  
  
• Your Network contains information on what's happening near you. In this edition you'll find a range of information from Highland, North East, Tayside, Fife, Forth Valley, Lothians & Borders, Glasgow & Clyde Valley and Ayrshire, Dumfries & Galloway.
  
  

If you know of something going on in your area tell us by emailing: thenetwork@sepa.org.uk