We submitted our entry to the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce’s Inspiring Herts Awards for 2020, and we have been shortlisted! We have entered the Green Award which recognises organisations that employ responsible business practices in relation to the environment, community and people. Entrants for this award must have shown how they contribute to the well-being of their community and the environment.
The Emmaus social enterprise centres around reusing and recycling donated furniture. In 2019 alone, Emmaus Hertfordshire saved over 2,000 tonnes of waste from going to landfill, two thirds of the total weight of items handled in that year. Nearly 100 tonnes of this was recycled, allowing as many of the raw materials to be saved as possible and all our future developments will continue to add to this total. Most items that are donated to Emmaus are sold, not only giving each piece of furniture another life but also raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for the homeless charity. If a donated item can’t be sold, re-purposed, up-cycled or renovated, then the item is processed for recycling. These processes are all done by trained residents, staff and volunteers of Emmaus. We recycle books, paper, textiles, plastics, garden waste, cardboard, electricals, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, food waste, bags, wood, pottery, water and much more. Even the Emmaus house clearance service recycles and re-sells as much of the items collected as possible, offering not only a competitively priced service but one that benefits the environment and people in need. Emmaus works with many companies, recycling their unwanted furniture during re-fits and re-branding. Two members of the Emmaus team work hard to ensure our recycling contractors are responsible and competitive. Our vans drive around the county daily, and offer a free collection service to the community, reducing fly tipping and diverting recyclable waste from landfill. Our recycling and wood workshops provide an invaluable space for hundreds of vulnerable adults every year, allowing them to learn carpentry, up-cycling or recycling methods and gain qualifications and supporting them back into employment.
Wish us luck in the final and we will let you know if we are shortlisted!
#HertfordshireChamberofCommerce #InspiringHertsGreenAward