A GROUND-BREAKING community enterprise in Stroud which is aimed at revolutionising the way we think about waste has moved into the next step in its evolution.

Community R4C is an environmental initiative set up earlier this year to help promote waste-reduction and work toward a sustainable circular economy.

The volunteer-run scheme has now created the Trash to Treasure initiative, with the aim of treating Gloucestershire’s rubbish as a resource.

The new green venture is now looking to for investors to pre-register for shares in the community-led company.

All funds raised through the share scheme will support community environmental projects.

The first of these will be an ambitious project to build a waste recycling plant as an alternative to controversial plans for waste incineration in the area.

This centre would use the latest technology to recover and recycle more than 90 per cent of the county’s ‘black bag’ waste instead of burning or burying it.

Recyclates and recovered material such as glass, plastic, paper, metals and high quality fuel pellets would then be sold to businesses in the county.

Having grown out of the embers of the anti-incinerator campaign, its creators hope the plant will rival and undermine the economic case for the £600 million Javelin Park facility, which is due to be built near Haresfield.

They argue the recycling centre will be far cheaper, greener, smaller and better for the community than the incinerator.

This plant itself, which would cost £15 million to build, will be owned and operated by a separate commercial organisation called Revolution R4C Ltd.

But the two teams would be closely linked to create a circular partnership with one another.

Stroud News and Journal:

The Community R4C team

Jon Scott, co-chair of Community R4C, explained the link.

“Up to a quarter of the profits from the recycling plant, perhaps 250,000 a year, would be channelled back into Community R4C to support research, education and community initiatives which further reduce waste,” he said.

“Over the recycling plant’s projected lifetime of 20 years as much as £5 million will be generated in this way.

“This is a ‘community defined, commercially delivered’ model which will be an exemplar of the way socially engaged, environmentally sustainable business can work for all.”

To kick-start the process, the initiative is looking for residents, campaigners and businesses in Stroud to invest in Community R4C.

Its director Tom Jarman said: “It’s important to stress investing in CR4C does not mean investing in the recycling plant.

“Money would go into facilitating practical aspects of the project such as negotiating with funding partners and undertaking the approval process.

“It would also be channelled into encouraging more community involvement, persuading district councils towards recycling instead of incineration and supporting the establishment of the recycling plan itself.

“And any excess funds would be used to directly support other local projects and ventures which help preserve Gloucestershire’s environment.

“Shareholders would also become members of the group and will have a say in where money is spent.

“This is a key part of the project, it is led by the community and those who invest in it. The community defines what it wants and the business follows, instead of the other way around.

“We want people to invest and help undermine a bad idea with a good one.”

People can register their interest with a pledge of as little as £100.

Under the plans, all investors will be able to withdraw their money, funds permitting, with interest after three years.

Mr Jarman said he hoped the plant would be operational by 2020.

To mark the launch of the Trash to Treasure shareholding offer, CR4C is holding an event at Stroud Brewery on Friday, April 15, which will feature talks, discussion, entertainment and live music.

Details of the event can be found at community-share-offer/

Anyone interested in the share launch can find out more on Crowdfunder, on www.CommunityR4C.com or by emailing admin@communityr4c.com