1. The Power of Partnerships: Making Reuse Work Matt Smyth Surrey County Council

2. Introduction Context What we did What we have What we’ve achieved What next in Surrey? Lessons learnt

3. Context

4. 2 tier area – 11 district and borough councils 1.2 million people 465,000 households Largest town Guildford 67,000 people Urban/rural split London influence

5. Context: waste services Surrey County Council 25 year PFI contract with SITA Surrey 6 WCAs contracted out – Biffa and Veolia 5 WCAs Direct Service Organisations

6. Context: material 391,548 tonnes 350 tonnes reusable 111,868 tonnes 4,500 tonnes reusable

7. Context: Furniture Reuse Organisations Kingston Community Furniture The Vine Project Furnistore Woking Community Furniture Project Furniture Helpline Furniturelink

8. What we did Reuse identified as a priority in 2009 Surrey Reuse Network a forum for sharing ideas Ad hoc support from SCC Visits to all FROs Leave it to the experts……….. FROs invited to develop business cases that deliver against a set of criteria Grant funding available from SCC

9. 9 What we did: criteria Total coverage of Surrey Multiple sites required Reuse of multiple material streams Repair element to the solution Some de-manufacturing required to increase recycling Absolute reduction in amount of waste going to landfill Excellent customer experience Flexibility in amount of free disposal available for non reusable items Return on investment

10. What we have Registered charity and social enterprise Open to any community groups reusing furniture that operate in Surrey Board members nominated from each member organisation Memorandum of understanding Shared purpose

11. What we have Identity Website Contact details Shared online booking system Annual campaigns info@surreyreusenetwork.org.uk 0800 082 0180

12. What we have Kingston Community Furniture The Vine Project Furnistore Woking Community Furniture Project Furniture Helpline Furniturelink Home from Home Addlestone Hub HWRC

13. What we’ve achieved

14. What next in Surrey? More bulky collections More material reused from HWRCs More retail space More responsibility within the Local Assistance Scheme Regional opportunities

15. Lessons learnt

16. 1. Get commitment

17. 2. Size up the opportunity

18. 3. Set realistic and holistic targets

19. 4. Ensure the governance is right for you

20. 5. Upfront investment is required…… ……and payback periods are longer than you expect

21. 6. Sustainable funding sources can be found Bulky collections Retail outlets Local Assistance Scheme Work placements Reuse credits

22. 7. Expertise

23. 8. Consistency is key Back office systems Service offering Web presence Contact details

24. 9. Strength in unity Don’t underestimate the additional strength that comes from working together –Credibility with potential partners –Ability to access additional resources –Ability to provide additional services Retail outlets Bulky collections (with or without WCAs) Repair hubs

25. 10. Commitment

27. Lessons learned: summary 1. Commitment 2. Opportunity 3. Targets 4. Governance 5. Investment 6. Sustainable funding 7. Expertise 8. Consistency 9. Unity 10. Ongoing commitment

28. Useful contacts Matt Smyth, Surrey County Council matthew.smyth@surreycc.gov.uk Hera Cottrell, Surrey County Council hera.cottrell@surreycc.gov.uk Adrian Collins, SRN Chairman business@kcfurniture.org.uk Alex Green, Managing Director, Social Purpose Group alex@socialpurposegroup.org