Brumcan or Brumcan’t: the ghost of recycling services’ past
Sometimes, the right causes don’t get the right recognition, and Brumcan is definitely one of those causes. As a result, the Brumcan service was supposedly cut in 2005.
Brumcan was a small volunteer run organisation that worked in and around the smaller communities surrounding Birmingham and was modest in its approach.
Predictions on the Birmingham City Council Waste Management Strategy for 2006 to 2026 suggested that the tonnes of waste collected by The Brumcan service were to increase by around 30%.
However, in July 2005, it was ‘announced’ that the service was to cease. There was however, no actual announcement of this and the website is still running.
However, with recognition on the BBC local site and EU funding, they had clearly made a name for themselves as an organisation. Sadly, the same cannot be said for its recognition amongst the people of Birmingham.
For example, in the year ending September 2006 (after it was announced that the programme would cease), the Charity Commission website stated that Brumcan:
- Attended 39 community workshops and meetings
- Worked with a total of 15 different community groups
- Attended 7 outreach events
- Delivered 63 school workshops and assemblies
- Worked with 14 different schools
- Distributed 88 home compost bins
But no-one recognised, re-iterated and showed interest in what they were doing, and they are now quiet. Apparently, they are still running in Moseley, but the website is not updated and there are a lot of questions surrounding their presence in Birmingham.
It had existed since 1991, and offered services like doorstep recycling, volunteer material-sorting sessions and make countless appearances at charity and council events.
As Jane Trobridge points out in the BBC local article, Brumcan “collected from 20,000 homes in the city”.
Neighbourhood Renewal Funding (NRF) was not made available
All workers were either volunteers, part of council groups, or trainees taken from disadvantaged areas or walks of life.
Even with these benefits, council support was scarce, and Neighbourhood Renewal Funding (NRF) was not made available. Apparently, funding recycling projects does not constitute benefitting the environment.
So when EU funding fell through (European Regional Development Fund), there was little to be done.
According to the Charity Commission, the accounts are over a year overdue, so claims that the charity are still running seem unlikely.
However, Jane Trobridge told me:
“As it happens they (Brumcan) reintroduced recycling to Balsall Heath at some point in the year following that blog (The blog was written in June 2008.
They are now doing the same fortnightly collection that Moseley has, and I assume elsewhere in Birmingham has too“
Admittedly, their web presence is limited to their website alone, which raises questions as to whether or not they promote themselves effectively if they are still around. But, the original questions still stands;
Why were such a respected, proud and hard-working organisation not supported more effectively in Birmingham, both by the public and by the council?
Hopefully, Birminghamrecycling can do our part, and might even unearth some response from Brumcan should they still exist in our area.
But it may be time for Birmingham and Birmingham City Council to start helping out the people who are putting in more effort than the rest of us put together, because there are certainly more of them out there that aren’t getting the spotlight they deserve.
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Lorna Langdon says:
I was the General Manager of Brumcan and was involved with it from the start. I, along with several others, was made redundant in 2006 and the organisation hobbled along till its liquidation in 2009. I have since set up my own recycling business, Paperchasers. It is clear that without additional funding support, organisations like Brumcan struggle to survive. As the industry structure has changed slut over the past 5 years, this sort of funding is now very hard to find [if it exists at all!]
Mar. 2 at 9:17 amWhat a difference a year makes for #onlinejournalism « Natalie Adcock’s Blog says:
[...] were with a bit of editing, but some went the extra mile. Some examples of this are researching the disappearance of Brumcan, which nightclubs aren’t pulling their green weight and whether the Sea Life Centre should keep [...]
Apr. 17 at 4:06 pmPhilip Osman says:
BRUMCAN: THE SEQUEL
After Brumcan was finally dissolved in 2009 David Armstrong, their Business Development Manager, bought up all the equipment and set up Birmingham Community Recycling (BCR) a not for profit Community Interest Company. BCR continues to employ many of the original Brumcan staff and reaches out into the community by providing training and work opportunities for the long term unemployed and people with special needs.
The aim of BCR is to make recycling affordable for small and medium sized businesses in the Birmingham area through a range ‘closed-loop’ initiatives: All glass is recycled into glass, paper into paper etc.
BCR provides a One-Stop-Shop for recycling Paper, Cardboard, Glass, Cans and Tins, Plastics and Printer Cartridges. We offer several flexible recycling services which can be tailored to your specific needs. Customers include Solicitors, Architects, Government Agencies, Construction Companies, Coach and Railway Stations, Theatres, Music Venues, Pubs, Restaurants, Schools and Charities.
Sadly David died in January 2010 but BCR is still going strong and remains committed to promoting recycling in the local business community.
BCR are based at Unit 6, Mount Street Business Park, Mount Street. Nechells, B7 5QU.
Feb. 4 at 1:14 pm0121 328 2020
admin@bcr-cic.co.uk
Anon says:
I worked in the management team at Brumcan and whilst the organisation should be praised for its part it played in improving Birminghams recycling, I do feel that it came to a somewhat natural end. Brumcan was responsible for introducing the first multi material household recycling scheme in Birmingham collecting in high density housing areas which made collections difficult. The use of pedestrianised collection vehicles made such areas accessible. It also allowed the collection crew interaction with the residents where they could educate them about how they should use the scheme. This was supported back at the office with a Community team which as reported attended countless number of events.
It is perhaps this element where Brumcan achieved what the LA and private contractors find difficult to achieve. That is interaction at the local level to get communities to start to recycle.
I do however feel that the operational side was becoming somewhat difficult to maintain as the collections became busier. Brumcan had limited resources and working with a mix of paid workers and volunteers did pose constraints.
In summary I believe that Brumcan provided a good basis for the council to take over the collections. It was needed to ensure that the council could meet their targets. I personally would have liked Brumcan to have reacted to this change and maybe further supported the council in their community role or indeed become focused upon becoming a launch pad for other recyclable materials in Birmingham.
May. 3 at 12:38 pmAnon says:
Brumcan was a victim of its own success and played a vital role over the past couple of decades in getting recycling mainstreamed in B’ham. However, today recycling is now normal, with scores of contractors offering specialised and total waste management, shredding and recycling solutions – a far cry from the early 1990′s when noone was recycling and Brumcan offered something unique in an underdeveloped industry. Today however, the industry is highly competitive – even skip companies recycle! It is sad, but Brumcan is one of many community recycling ventures across the UK which have closed due to progress. No cash-strapped local authority would (or should) be giving money to third party organisations to do a job they are doing themselves anyway or one which can be provided by an unsubsidised commercial contractor, that would simply be a complete waste of tax payers money. The council is a massive organisation and can easily provide city-wide recycling services to everyone, thereby realising the economies of scale required to make domestic recycling economically viable. Brumcan was never in a position to offer this without substantial financial backing from somewhere and indeed, was never really set up to do this anyway. It acheived its vision and aims and then closed down.
May. 12 at 6:20 am