Panorama
 
 
 
 

TURNING THE NATION’S RUBBISH INTO PROFIT


Environmental Panorama
London – United Kingdom
May of 2006

10-May-2006 - New proposals that will help business turn their rubbish into hard cash were unveiled today (May 9th) by the Environment Agency and WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme).

The proposals, known as Waste Protocols, will play a major role in reducing many common types of commercial rubbish that has traditionally ended up in landfill. They will also allow, for the first time, many businesses and industry to turn their rubbish into valuable resources and products - potentially netting the UK economy a saving of up to £2bn whilst also reducing the cost to the environment.

The Waste Protocols identify 10 types of waste which can be recovered and reprocessed for use in a wide range of end markets. For example, biodegradable waste often generated by supermarkets and catering industries can be turned into quality compost and sold on. Glass waste can be reprocessed and used as a raw material that delivers energy savings in the manufacture of bricks. There is also a large potential market for processed sand made from recycled glass that can be used on golf courses and other sport pitches. Some of the most common types of plastics, particularly those used in soft drinks bottles and plastic milk containers, can be recycled back into a range of products, including new packaging.

The other seven types of waste that companies may be able to recover and reuse are: source segregated bio-waste, contaminated soils which have been washed and stabilised), food oil which can be turned into bio-fuel or other products, wood waste not classified as packaging waste, waste tyres that have been crumbed or shredded, pulverized fuel ash and blast furnace slag.

The developed Waste Protocols will provide guidance to business that will:

define the point of full recovery from a waste back into a product or material that can be either reused by the business or industry or sold into other markets; or
define when wastes are recovered to a state where the Environment Agency considers that their use is acceptable in accordance with their Low Risk regulatory principles; or
confirm to the business community what legal obligations remain to control the re-use of the treated waste material .
Sir John Harman, Chair of the Environment Agency, who will be announcing the ten new waste streams

Tuesday 9th May 2006 at the RICS, 12 Great George Street, London, SW1P at 3.30pm.

said:

"Nationally the amount of waste we are generating is increasing year on year, for every tonne of household waste, business and industry produces another six, with most of it destined for landfill sites around the country. So I am delighted to announce alongside our partners WRAP, that we will be developing 10 new Waste Protocols which will let business and industry to turn this waste into valuable products and materials. Whilst the Waste Protocols Project is a relatively new initiative, the expectation surrounding it is substantial and we are confident that it is a project which has the potential to change the way waste is recovered on a national and ultimately international scale."

"We know that the success of this project relies on the backing of business and industry and we believe that we have made real progress with this. Our Project Advisory Board who were instrumental in identifying the types of waste that can be reused, already has 15 key organisations across government and business, including the Confederation of British Industries (CBI), as members."

Jennie Price, Chief Executive of WRAP, said: "Achieving greater clarity on the issue of when a waste that is being recycled becomes a product is absolutely critical to increasing the UK’s recycling levels. WRAP has found that many users will simply not contemplate buying a material that remains within the scope of the regulatory regime for waste and uncertainty on this point is one of the issues most regularly cited by recyclers as a barrier to business success.

"We are delighted to be working with the Environment Agency on this joint project, which is particularly timely given research just published by WRAP which shows the substantial contribution that recycling can make to reducing CO2 emissions and therefore climate change."

The Waste Protocols Project has been funded through Defra’s Business Resource Efficiency and Waste programme (BREW) which recycles revenue generated through the Landfill Tax to support business in making better use of their resources and managing their waste.

Defra recently announced the second year’s worth of BREW funding, totaling some £95 million for the 2006/07 financial year and the Environment Agency was successful in obtaining continuation funding for both its NetRegs and Waste Crime projects, as well as securing funding for the Waste Protocols Project with our partner organisation WRAP.

ENDS

Notes To Editors:

WRAP

1. WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) is a major UK programme established to promote resource efficiency. Its particular focus is on creating stable and efficient markets for recycled materials and products and removing the barriers to waste minimisation, re-use and recycling.

2. A not-for-profit company, WRAP is backed by substantial Government funding from Defra and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

 
 

Source: Environment Agency – United Kingdom (http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk)
Press consultantship (Head Office/Press Office)
All rights reserved

 
 
 
 

 

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