Welcome to the Network News

Welcome to the June edition of the Network News. In this edition we take a closer look at the community and volunteer sector and the valuable contribution they make in tackling Scotland's waste.

With Waste Prevention high on the waste agenda, we take a look at the role the community sector can play in delivering national waste prevention strategies. We also look at what has been achieved by the sector already with recent statistics produced by CRNS that show how much waste has been diverted from landfill as a result of community based projects.

Many community projects rely heavily on volunteers for the day to day running of projects and it can be an immensely rewarding experience for both the individual and the project. The project gains man-power, which allows the delivery of project goals and enables projects to expand, and in some cases gain specialist expertise that would not previously be available.  The volunteer gains experience and training, often helping towards future employment; can learn new skills; make new social contacts; and can boost confidence. In this edition you can read about the Generous Scotland project, which uses volunteers across Scotland to promote reuse and recycling through the charity shops.

Also in this edition we have the INCREASE Programme's Top Ten Tips on applying for funding , an update from SEPA's John Ferguson on the National Waste Strategy, news on a new training course on waste prevention and community engagement, the launch of the National Waste Prevention Competition for secondary schools, an update on funding and how its been spent from the INCREASE Programme, the usual local area updates and much much more.

And finally, we are pleased to announce that the next National Network Conference will be held on Tuesday 5th February 2008 in Perth. The Conference will have a Waste Prevention theme and promises to be a great day. Make sure you don't miss out - put the date in your diary now!

Best wishes

The Network Team