Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP
WEST EDINBURGH TIMES (Bits & Bobs Recycling Project, Energy Review White Paper)
Over the last year, I’ve written about the importance of taking care of our environment and the challenge of addressing climate change.
So I was pleased to visit “Bits and Bobs” recycling project in Broomhouse which collects scrap materials and sells these on to community groups, schools and artists for art and play. Their office is packed with an astounding array of materials. I must confess that I had to ask what most of the items would be used for – there is clearly some very creative people around ! The important thing is that these materials were unwanted by organisations and individuals and would have ended up in land-filled sites. Bits and Bobs stop this from happening. Not only do they make an important contribution to our local environment but they provide a service which gives local people what they want, on their doorstep and at a very good price.
They are a social enterprise project and provide about 15 training posts each year for people with learning needs. Some well know social enterprises in the UK include Jamie Oliver’s 15 Restaurants, the Big Issue and Divine Fairtrade Chocolate. The Department for Trade and Industry estimate that there are about 55,000 social enterprises in the UK. What they have in common is that they all trade as businesses that put their profits into social purpose.
I met staff, volunteers and trainees who are all enthusiastic and committed to the project. I could see the skills and experience such as numeracy and customer service that trainees are gaining which will help them go on into work.
At Westminster, I recently launched the Energy Review White Paper which sets out the Government’s strategy to save energy and boost energy efficiency and move to lower carbon energy through sources such as renewables and microgeneration.
Through these measures we will save between 23-33 million tonnes of carbon by 2020. At the upper end, this is the equivalent of removing all cars, buses and lorries from the roads.
Providing ways to encourage consumers and businesses to become more energy efficient is a key aspect of the White paper. As I’ve said many times before, talking green is easy but the hard part is doing something about it. Bits and Bobs with the commitment of their staff, trainees, volunteers and members show that it is possible to make a difference.
