A powerhouse of resource management activity on the islands of Islay and Jura.
Re-JIG activities include sorting kerbside collections and recycling banks to collecting and selling unwanted furniture, household goods, books and clothes (and anything else that can be reused) and delivering advice on renewable energy.
People can donate and buy second-hand furniture, clothing and bric-a-brac at our shop at Bridgend on Islay, or make use of the our collection and delivery service. We sell shredded newspaper for animal bedding and produce biodiesel from used cooking oil to power our Re-JIG vehicles.
We also work with schools, the general public, local community recycling groups and businesses to further their waste reduction aims, and organises events such as beach clean-ups.
Why we do what we do
Re-JIG was formed in 1999 to address waste and recycling issues on the Isles of Islay & Jura. Re-JIG’s work undertakes a wide range of waste & recycling activities. The average UK household creates 600kg of waste every year. Waste is expensive to dispose of and there are better options for the environment and our local communities than just landfilling it. We all have a part to play, for the following reasons:
- Materials that can be recycled should not now be landfilled. Landfill space is limited on the islands and is a waste of resources (recycling reuses the raw materials that were extracted to make the product in the first place).
- We sort the Islay and Jura’s kerbside collected material and bale it ready for onward transport to the recyclers. By sorting the materials, we increase the market value and ensure it’s used again effectively.
- Sorting and recycling helps us to create local jobs and economic opportunities
- Furniture reuse is a fabulous way of giving someone else the chance to make use of your unwanted items. Reuse is excellent for the environment. It saves the extraction of raw materials, energy and water use needed to make new products. It also makes items affordable for those on tight budgets. And, again, reuse helps to create jobs.
- Producing biodiesel from cooking oil is an environmentally sound way of taking a waste material and reusing it. All the Re-JIG van’s and forklift are set to run on 100% biodiesel very soon.
Baled aluminium cans - about 450 cans to a block!
Targets
Our recycling target for 2010 is 130+ tonnes recycled. We recycled 119.7 tonnes of material in 2009.
The Team
We currently have:
One full-time project manager
Three part-time recycling operatives
One retail assistant
2 part-time beach rangers
Our key funders
Argyll & Bute Council Strategic Waste Fund
E.B. Scotland
and partners
Argyll & Bute Council
The GRAB Trust
