Our Community
We consider ourselves to be part of any community in which we operate. We strive in all our operations to provide a positive contribution to the community and to be a good neighbour.
All our sites operate robust management systems to minimise the potential for environmental nuisance on our local communities. Issues such as odour, dust, noise and litter are tightly controlled. Our performance with regards to complaints has continued to be commendable during 2008 with seven out of the eight sites reporting achieving an unblemished record for the year. Only minor complaints (three in number) were received at our East Northants Resource Management Facility which were quickly and effectively resolved.
Working together
Active community liaison has continued at all our landfill sites and has provided a valuable vehicle for discussion of issues pertinent to landfill operations and the local community.
To assist us in community liaison Augean publishes a bi-annual community newsletter. This has proven effective in informing those people who live closest to our sites on how we operate and our development proposals and in addition stimulated discussion on issues that are important to the community.
Community investment
Augean invests in our local communities because they are important to us. Through the Landfill Community Fund we contribute too many local initiatives and will continue to support the communities in the areas in which we operate. This process is managed by the South West England Environmental Trust (SWEET) for our southern sites and by the Teesside Environmental Trust for our northern sites. These independent bodies ensure objectivity in decision making and full accountability of the distribution of funds.
Our landfill site at Port Clarence contributed over £100,000 to the Salthome International Nature Reserve in the Tees Valley during 2008. The reserve has transformed an area of industrial waste land and land filling to a wild flower meadow and has been supported by Augean since 2004. The reserve was opened in January 2009 by Teesside Environmental Trust and the RSPB with the official opening expected in March 2009.
Our southern sites at East Northants Resource Management Facility and Thornhaugh have contributed over £152,000 to projects during 2008. The Kings Cliffe and Thornhaugh Environmental Associations were formed so that local people could bring their ideas on how Landfill Tax Credit funds should be spent. The associations provide independent and objective verification to ensure that funds that are allocated are for genuine projects that will make a real difference to the local community. Highlights for Augean during 2008 have been the opening of the new recreational facilities in Kings Cliffe village including football pitches, an all weather pitch, and BMX track, which Augean, via landfill tax credits, provided the funding for the land purchase and foundations for the planned pavilion at the site. We have also been pleased with the progression of works within the Bedford Purlieus nature reserve. 2008 saw the design and installation of interpretation panels and bat hibernacula and improvements to newt habitats within the site.
Community Education
Augean has continued to work with Kings Cliffe Endowed School during 2008
and in February we visited the school to discuss waste management with the
year 5 school children. Following on from this exercise we ran a competition for
the best projects with the winning children receiving book tokens and a guided
tour of our East Northants Resource Management Facility. The initiative was
tremendously enjoyed by both the children and staff involved at the school but
also by the Augean personnel that took part. This project and competition were
undertaken again by Augean and King’s Cliffe Endowed School in February and
March 2009.
Further and continued support has been provided to other educational establishments such as Long Eaton School where we assisted at a careers workshop and to the University of Wales at Swansea through support to the Environmental Engineering MRes programme
Landfill Community Fund
The Landfill Community Fund (LCF), was designed to help mitigate the effects of landfill on local communities. Introduced with the landfill tax in October 1996, it enables operators of landfill sites to donate up to 6% of their landfill tax liability to environmental projects in return for a 90% tax credit.
These should conform to one of the following:
- Projects that involve reclaiming land, the use of which has been prevented by some previous activity
- Projects that reduce or prevent pollution on land
- Projects that provide or maintain public amenities or parks within ten miles of a landfill site delivery of biodiversity conservation for UK species habitats
- Projects to restore or repair buildings for religious worship, or those of architectural or historical interest, within ten miles of a landfill site
- Projects that fund the cost of administrative, financial or other similar services, supplied to other enrolled environmental bodies
For more information please contact:
Alison Southern
Sweet-UK
Victoria House
51 Victoria House
Bristol
BS1 6AD
0117 904 5875
sweet@lyonsdavidson.co.uk
www.sweet-uk.com
Cliff Shepherd
Teesside Environmental Trust
1 Belasis Court
Belasis Hall Technology Park
Greenwood Road
Billingham
TS23 4AZ
01642 370 319
cliffshepherd@inca.uk.com