1996 - The East Manchester Environment and Resources Group – EMERGE - began as a voluntary organisation in January 1996
1998 - We became a registered company limited by guarantee. This means we have no private share capital and open membership.
1999 - We had our first fully paid member of staff, pioneered the first hi-rise flats recycling service in Manchester and piloted the first Pedestrian Controlled Vehicle (PCV) multi-material collections for 5000 households. This was an innovative new method of collecting from the doorstep. We also developed the Open College Network (OCN) qualification in community recycling.
2000 - We provided recycling services to 30,000 homes, collecting paper every fortnight. We hosted recycling at events such as Manchester Mela attended by over 5000 people.
2001–2003 - EMERGE secured support from the European Social Fund for all activities with a focus on training and developing a wider programme of ‘community recycling champions’ in Manchester.
2004–2006 - We secured the domestic recycling contract with Trafford Council for 7,000 homes in Old Trafford and Gorse Hill, receiving financial support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and CRED Lottery Funding.
To date, this service is one of the most comprehensive in Greater Manchester. See our Domestic Recycling page for more details.
We secured a partnership arrangement with Manchester City Council to run a multi-material kerbside collection service to 55,000 homes in Manchester, assisting the city in raising its recycling rate from 4% to 17%!
Using our expertise in domestic recycling services, we assisted Warrington Council with the rollout of their recycling services to 80,000+ homes.
EMERGE began its Schools Recycling Programme, thanks to CRED lottery funding. We provided a free recycling service to over 150 schools and 3Rs education workshops to all participating schools.
2007 Onwards - EMERGE develops and expands its Business Services, now collecting from over 800 businesses throughout Greater Manchester, with the recent addition of plastic bottle collections, batteries and IT equipment reuse and recycling.
We continue to pioneer existing and innovative new projects, such as the EMERGE Appliance Reuse Consortium (ARC) where we collect and refurbish white goods. These are sold direct from EMERGE or through local charitable organisations to local people. See our additional services page for more details
As CRED funding for the Schools Recycling Programme came to an end, EMERGE set up opportunities for local businesses to sponsor a school.
Accessing our 10 years of expertise, EMERGE provides consultancy and waste auditing services available to businesses and schools, local authorities and community organisations.
