BRINGING
the social benefits of
RE-USE
to your estate
A toolkit brought to you by Groundwork London
With the contribution of the LIFE+ financial instrument of the European Community.
Who are we? In 2015-16, Groundwork worked with residents to set up pilot re-use hubs on five very different housing estates across London. Redundant spaces were transformed into lively hubs that collect unwanted furniture, upcycle and repair items, and sell them on at affordable prices. If you live on an estate that you’d like to see change, here’s our short guide on how to start setting up your own.
If you work for a housing association or council, or want more detail, you might want to download our full implementation guide, at www.repurpose.london In partnership with London Community Resource Network (LCRN) and Middlesex University (MU). The REPURPOSE project is made possible with the contribution of the LIFE+ financial instrument of the European Community.
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Why set up a re-use hub? Reduce fly-tipping
Use empty spaces
There is lots of fly-tipping on most estates. This makes the local environment look untidy, attracts antisocial behavior and costs thousands to dispose of every year.
Often estates have empty garages or undercrofts that could be used for this kind of project.
This happens partly because the system of bulky waste disposal on estates encourages residents to dump furniture on the street (most estate residents think dumping is ‘what you do’ with unwanted items). Plus estate residents are often not eligible for borough wide collection services.
Provide skills and occupation for residents
Re-use items Around 40% of fly-tipped items could be re-used with small repairs but people don’t have the basic skills or means to repair them. Benefit residents on low incomes who need furniture Estates regularly have people moving in and out. Often furniture is unwanted or needed as a result, particularly for those in crisis or housed temporarily. Sometimes these residents are sent miles away to find low cost furniture for their homes. 4
On most estates there are residents who have nothing to do during the day who might benefit from volunteering, many of whom have skills already. Working with furniture can be very therapeutic. Bring residents together Projects like this enable residents to get to know each other and provide activity during the day onsite.
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Our model On each estate we set up the following services: 1. A re-use hub from which activity took place
GROUNDWORK
4. Training & volunteering opportunities for residents
Finance, IT, community support
5. Sales of low cost furniture to residents
Project Manager
LCRN support
Operations Manager
MU support
EACH ESTATE
2. A free on foot collection service of furniture from people’s homes 3. Events & activities to engage residents
We also monitored everything we did to provide evidence of our impact and worked to integrate the services into the local estate’s plans.
Community Officer
Re-use Coordinator
Local partner support
Volunteers (up to 4 per day)
Re-use Assistant (up to 3 part-time)
Re-use hub space provided for free
Staff set up
We have:
The services were run by the following staff:
Removed over 6000 bulky items (87+ tonnes) from the waste stream
1 x Full-time Workshop Manager
Provided over 3000 items of low cost furniture to low income and vulnerable families
1 x Full-time Retail Manager 1 x Part-time Assistant 1 x Part-time Community Engagement Officer, and 3 to 4 regular volunteers a day.
Our impact and findings So far (after 17 months of operations) we’ve exceeded most of our original targets by a long way. 6
Changed behaviour on waste, re-use and recycling through 52 events, with over 4200 residents involved in programme to date Provided local volunteering and employment for over 100 volunteers Created over £640,000 in social value through new community connections and skills gained
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Models for replication The particular elements that worked well on each estate depended on some key elements. These were: • Estate size • Volume of reusable waste created • The drivers behind involvement (e.g. social support for low income households; waste prevention; skills development; estate clean up) • The space available for setting up a hub • The degree of support from local on-estate teams • Degree of community activity onsite.
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So, although we started off with five identical services, these evolved over time into models that fitted each estate’s circumstance. We also discovered where we needed more staff to support this kind of programme. From our experience we think these are the three main ways you could operate an estate-based re-use programme, as shown in the following table. More details on how the models could work follow in the rest of the toolkit.
Size Staff
A: Full-time service
B: Part-time service
C: Periodic events-based service
Large Estate 1750+ households 1 x Retail, Enterprise & Development Coordinator
Medium Estate ~800 households 1 x Re-use Coordinator
Small Estate ~250 households 1 x Re-use Coordinator (PT)
1 x Assistant (PT)
1 x Workshop Manager 1 x Assistant Large visible single Hub location of at least 180m2 with workshop, retail & storage. May need planning permission. Collections 5 days/week to keep stock coming in At least 5 days/ week including 1 weekend day At least once/ Events month to keep residents engaged & programme visible Volunteers Helping with all elements, 4/5 a day onsite Full workshop & Set up collections toolset items needed High. Refurb costs Costs £10-45k. Tools etc £5-8k. Running costs ~£75-100k/ year Longevity Work towards a Social Enterprise model after 3 years
Sales
Large visible single location of at least 100m2 with workshop, retail & storage. May need planning permission.
No hub needed necessarily, just dry space for storage of items
3 days/week to keep Limited, periodic collections (1 stock coming in day/week) 3 days/week including 1 weekend day At least once/ month to keep residents engaged & programme visible
Once a month at pop-up shops/ events
Helping with all elements, 2/3 a day onsite Full workshop & collections toolset needed Medium. Refurb costs £5-25k. Tools etc £3-6k. Running costs ~£45-65k/year
Helping run events & collections
Will always need funding support
Will always need small funding support
In community centre/existing space focusing on skills
Basic tools & gazebo for sales/ events Will need storage area that is secure & dry (~£5k).Tools etc ~£1.5k. Running cost £5-15k/ year
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Planning your project Before you start trying to set up your project you will need to do a bit of planning. At a minimum you will need to establish: • Some key figures on the demographics of your estate; the amount of furniture items that go to waste; the potential need for furniture or skills provision etc • The kind of service model you want to aim for • Whether there are any free unused locations that could be used to run the project from • How you will monitor the project • The support of the housing partner • A plan of action. Your estate You should be able to access basic figures about who lives on your estate from internet searches or talking to your housing provider. But you will need to explore what are the key problems on the estate. Social isolation? Unemployment? Lack of cohesion? Fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour? Talk to your fellow residents and local staff. 10
Finding out about how many items go to waste is a bit more tricky. Some estates measure this but others use contractors that collect the waste from multiple estates in the same vans. For our project we carried out some simple visual surveys, going round counting the amount of fly-tipped items left outside on the street over a period of twoweeks so that we had some idea of the amount of items being thrown away. Choosing your model We think a major driver for the model you choose is the size of the estate and therefore volume of waste created and furniture needed. A fully-staffed model on a tiny estate is going to struggle to find enough furniture to process or customers for that furniture.
Waste prevention? If it’s only about the first two you might be able to run a different kind of project that supports those needs. Only go down the re-use service route if there is a clear driver for it, as it is costly and complicated! • Even if you have a large estate, do you want to start small and then work up? If you are a resident or keen volunteer you need to realise that setting up a regular service (like Models A or B) will take a lot of time and energy to drive forward. We don’t think it can be run by volunteers alone due to the time commitment, volume of work
involved and health and safety considerations. So you might want to think about starting small. • Do you have any space at all to work out of and what size is this space? • What community activity already happens on site? To what extent might these groups be up for partnering/supporting your idea?
However, estate size is only one of the things that will influence this decision. You might want to think about the following: • Is there any interest or easy funding available for a programme of this kind? • What are the real key drivers for a programme on your estate? Is it about learning skills? Providing volunteering opportunities? Estate activity? Furniture provision? 11
Finding a location
Monitoring your impact
If you want to set up a Type A Fullservice programme you will need:
You need to think at the beginning about how you might monitor your programme so you can see how well you are doing and prove it is successful.
• Premises which are big enough for all functions (we think at least 180m2). Working out of multiple locations comes with lots of problems. • An easily accessible location, ideally on a thoroughfare. Visibility is essential and will increase your footfall. There needs to be space for: • Storage of items requiring repair; Workshop; Retail; Office: IT, internet, phone; Welfare: toilet, running water, kitchen (or nearby). • Access to an outside area – that’ll be useful for high fume activities. Many estates have underground garages or undercrofts that are often unused, however these may require planning permission (see later section on this). Smaller services can be run out of smaller spaces, and even just a storage lock-up garage if you are running a Type C service on a small estate. Ideally you want these spaces to be provided free of charge. 12
You could keep tabs on: • Weight of bulky items removed (tonnes) • Items of low cost furniture provided to low income families • Efficiencies in estate waste collections (time saved) • Unused space put to use (m ) 2
• Local volunteering and employment (social value in £) • Income generated (£). Getting the housing provider on board You will especially need the support of the body that runs the estate who can help you assess some of the information needed to start off the project. This will likely be a housing association or a local council. Your re-use hub can offer major benefits. But housing providers are likely to have a number of competing
priorities, and this may not be on their agenda. You’ll need to highlight the clear environmental, social and economic benefits of the project to demonstrate why it should be given priority. First, check the lay of the land. Who is your housing association? What is the borough? Who is the borough’s bulky waste contractor? What is this housing association saying about re-use and sustainability? Use the key statistics you’ve gathered to discuss how this project can help address issues on your estate – whether it’s fly-tipping rates, social isolation or unemployment. Different teams are responsible for different activities and different housing providers will have different departments. You need to make the right argument to the right team. The kind of arguments that are likely to be powerful are: • For the community development team: creates social cohesion and positive on-estate activity; generates employment and volunteer opportunities. • For the social inclusion team: provides residents with essential
household furniture and appliances; generates employment and volunteer opportunities. • For estate services/waste team: minimises bulky waste costs; improves recycling rates; generates employment and volunteer opportunities; can help address hoarding. Developing a plan of action Once you have key partners on board, you need a clear plan of action. Draw up an agreement that sets out each partner’s role and responsibilities, and timeframes for key activities. Plan regular progress meetings and reports, to ensure that your progress towards objectives is tracked. Monitoring your progress this way will help you to secure future funding, make the case for subsidy, and win support to set up elsewhere. 13
Build local support If your hub is going to have a positive impact, you’ll need wide local support from the get go. This is not the kind of programme that can be run easily alone - not least because it takes 2 people to lift many items of furniture! You’ll need to be able to work closely with your on-estate caretaker team, market your service, and recruit staff and volunteers. If fly-tipping is normalised or residents aren’t keen on the idea of the project as they think it might be noisy, dirty or a fire risk, you may have to work to change attitudes too. Plan your engagement and speak to local influencers as soon as possible, to make sure you start off on the right foot. Who should I talk to first? Approach the local tenants association or housing estate manager. They should have a good sense of your ideal contacts and existing groups around the site. Your local community centre, caretakers and councillors are all essential allies, and can help you raise your profile. You will also need to speak to local key organisations like those who run the waste services and provide statutory 14
support for vulnerable residents. Other key allies include local shops and businesses and anyone already working in the furniture trade. There are lots of small re-use services and shops dotted around urban areas who you might be able to partner up with.
public, potential cost savings on bulky waste collections. • For local waste services: reduction in total waste, better processing of materials, improved public relations.
• For local re-use businesses: opportunity to operate as a network, sharing items and potentially space, tools, volunteers. • For local furniture businesses: provision of low cost furniture to sell on, helping them with their CSR objectives, supporting local people.
Make your case: What’s in it for them? You might want to focus on particular benefits for each stakeholder – such as: • For caretakers: should reduce their workload meaning they have to process fewer items of waste. We found caretakers didn’t really like smashing up perfectly good furniture anyway. • For existing estate groups: this programme can provide activities for existing groups and you can work in partnership in running events. It might even provide a key service for the people they already help. • For collection authorities: reducing the waste burden, better services to residents meaning improved relationship with the 15
properly insured, and explore whether there is sponsorship available for tools from local businesses, or second hand items they might provide for free to bring costs down. Starter Kit - Approx £3-4000 if bought new • Flat-bed trolley, sack truck, stair climber, ratchet straps and tarpaulin. • PAT tester and Steam cleaner.
Set up shop Before doing too much resident focused publicity you will need to set-up your service. This can take a bit of time. Get your space ready If you are aiming for a full service (Type A or B) first you may need to secure planning permission just to use your site for a workshop or retail area, class A1 or B1. You will need proper plans but you might be able to persuade a local architect to help out for free. Allow at least £350 and 8 weeks for the council to process your application. This shouldn’t be needed for just storage but you will need to assess any fire risks involved. Depending on the state of your site, and the type of model you are aiming 16
for, you may need to refurbish the space. The cost will depend on the work involved but you can reduce it by using reclaimed materials and volunteers. Local contractors may also help out as part of their CSR plans. Consider enlisting local corporate volunteers for one-off activities that require lots of hands – such as painting. This is where knowing local groups can really help! Kit it out You will need a starter kit of tools for any service. Get industrial quality versions of high-use items such as drills, steam cleaners, trolleys and sack barrows. Using domestic level items is a false economy - they will need replacing. Make sure all items are
• Safety equipment: Sharps box, goggles, gloves, safety boots, hi-viz vests, cash box. • First aid kits.
all times. This will ensure that there is no lone working, and that staff don’t have to lift items alone or shut up shop if carrying out a collection. In addition you will need 3-5 volunteers a day to help support retail, admin, workshop activities and events. Where to find them: Environmental jobs websites, message boards, local routes and contacts – it’s good to have a solid referral. Intermediaries often find the best volunteers. They can provide referrals and match you to individuals who have an appropriate skill set. Selection: Run at least a two stage interview with a practical stage: your staff need fitness and the ability to multi-task, and a very broad skill set.
• Tools: drill, industrial sander, screwdriver, claw hammer, rubber mallet, pincers, pliers, tape measure, utility knives, spanner sets, masking tape, cloth tape, PVA, dust sheets, builders buckets.
Training: First Aid, fire safety, customer care, health and safety, PAT testing, carrying, line management.
• Upcycling equipment: brushes, paint, varnish, scrap cloth, upholstery pins.
For everything to run smoothly, and because you are likely to have lots of volunteers involved, you will need some very clear systems that people follow about: how to process furniture; run the workshop and carry out collections. You can see more about these in our full Implementation Guide.
• Cleaning materials. Recruit staff
Set up systems
If you are running a full, Type A service, ideally, you’ll have 3 people onsite at 17
Day to day furniture operations • Set clear health and safety rules, recording and risk assessments. • Set up systems to record donated items, and get signatures from residents to confirm they want to donate them.
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• Ensure all tools have a designated space.
deposit schemes are clearly explained.
• Develop a sorting process for furniture, to ensure items are cleaned first and only upcycled if it’s time efficient.
• Plan how you might run your collection service.
• Make pricing clear but expect people to barter and ensure
• Collections can be carried out on foot, and may take up to 2 hours.
• Schedule your collections according to residents’ needs and movements – allow for late or early rounds. • To save time, try to group items together, and assess their condition prior to collecting.
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Make an impact
Volunteering opportunities With the right support in place, your volunteer opportunities can be tailored to help high needs individuals. But you will need to prepare:
Your service is only going to work if people are aware of it and get involved, both by volunteering and attending events and donating and purchasing furniture. So you will need to do some activities that help get the word out and engage people in what you are doing. First your space needs to look good and enticing; so keep the display attractive and change it regularly and capture attention with regular pop up shops and sales. Then you will need to do some activities that draw attention to your programme. Get the word out • Be visible: attend local events, bring big banners and signage. Promote via social media channels (though track the outcomes –are your target audience using it?). Run a high profile launch event to attract attention. • Be accessible: choose clear branding –a simple name, something that ‘does what it says on the tin’. Offer events at varying times, to capture different target groups. Encourage word of mouth promotion, to get beyond the 20
• Provide a clear structure and routine, with allocated times when they are expected to be in, and daily management. • Involve them at the earliest stage to give sense of ownership. reach of formal networks. Select ambassadors, and run competitions with small incentives - like a door knocking challenge. • Build relationships: identify relevant activities you could get involved with, for example spring clear outs, or new arrivals on the estate. Attach your promo material to existing systems of communication (such as new resident packs). Link up with local groups to deliver events and services – and remember to harness their existing contacts. Once you’re set up, keep nurturing your relationships and establish a good database. Remember - it can help to offer out support before you start asking for favours. From the staff and volunteers who run your hub, to the residents who take
your furniture home, local people are at the heart of this model. You need to get them involved. Event programme We found an essential part of the programme was running interactive events with different groups to teach new skills, tackle the root causes of fly tipping and encourage people to re-use and repair items. These events can be run by your key staff if you are running a Type A or B service, or if you are running a smaller set up you can get in expert trainers. These events will have the added benefit of introducing people to their neighbours, and giving them an excuse to become friends.
• Create designated days for volunteers that require extra support (such as those with mental and physical health problems). • You may need to manage dynamics between volunteers. The workshop needs to be a calm space that volunteers are happy to spend time in and look forward to visiting. • If possible, set up a counselling or support service to support the management of high needs volunteers. • High-needs volunteers may gain confidence as they get used to the space and be willing to expand the tasks they do. Take time to regularly re-assess their confidence and interests.
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Keep it going Re-use businesses typically take up to 3.5 years to break even. So if you are looking at setting up a Type A service you may need to look to diverse funding partners to support you through the first few years of operation. You will also need to keep people informed about progress to make sure that you can capitalise on existing support. Lastly you will need to regularly review what you are doing, to make sure that you are on the right track and if not to explore alternative pathways.
• Commissions on furniture repairs • Taking part in voucher schemes • Introducing collection fees • Paid for courses for able-to-pay residents • Paid for services such as steam cleaning, flat-pack assembly, shelves, or upholstery • Selling high value items off the estate via online sales platforms or partnerships with other sales outlets.
Generating your own revenue In a Type A model you can look to generate on average £2k basic income per month in year one. In the second year, we anticipate this could get up to £4.5k per month per site by the end of the year, with full staff and activities and a diversification of income (see below). Depending on costs, even with this projected income increase, you may still need subsidy. This kind of project is unlikely to break even for three years. Expanding your income You may want to explore other income generating activities, such as: 22
Further funding There are a number of charitable funds suitable for re-use projects. But you’ll often need accredited charity or social enterprise status in order to apply, and at least 12 months of accounts. You might want to consider partnering up with an existing organisation in running the site to help provide these things. Or working through the Housing Partner (although you may find they are too large for some sources of funding).
Think about the wide range of benefits you are delivering when applying for funding. This is not just a story of furniture, so don’t just search for grant funders that support furniture re-use. To deliver our pilot, we received funds from Big Lottery Fund Awards for All, Tesco’s Bags of Help, Southwark’s Cleaner Greener Safer Fund, the People’s Postcode Lottery, Paddy Power and Jewsons. Keeping people informed Keep partners and local residents informed about progress regularlyusing the monitoring systems you have set up. This will make sure there are no surprises and learning about your success is likely to encourage people to support more. For residents you can keep a simple blackboard outside your site showing some of your key impact numbers and use social media and your website to do the same.
Reviewing your progress Set up regular review points and review how you are doing against your original targets. You might want to ask yourself whether your model is still valid for your estate or if it’s better to go down another route. We have based our advice on five estates, but your estate will have individual characteristics that you might need to take into account. At the very least this will show you how well you are doing and encourage you to keep going. Good luck! We are more than happy to share our expertise or to help you to implement this model. From sharing contacts and staff efficiencies, to troubleshooting, there are many benefits to joining an existing network. If you would like further advice or support, please get in touch.
For key partners you will probably want to put together quarterly reports showing your key figures and case studies to bring what you are doing to life.
You could also explore corporate sponsorship, from local or national partners. 23
To find out more about setting up your own re-use hub, or to download our full implementation guide, visit www.repurpose.london
For more information about the Repurpose project or Groundwork London’s expertise in this area, please contact:
Graham Parry, Director Youth, Employment & Skills gparry@groundwork.org.uk
Hannah Baker, Programme Manager hannah.baker@groundwork.org.uk
Groundwork London is a company limited by guarantee and registered in England. Registered Office: 18-21 Morley Street, London, SE1 7QZ Company Registration No: 04212532 Charity Registration No: 1121105
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