Home
:
Zero Waste Resources
Resource efficiency in the UK
Some backgrounds on UK's waste sceneIn 1996 the UK government introduced a Landfill Tax designed to encourage more rapid diversion of commercial and municipal waste from landfill. As part of its implementation of the EU Landfill Directive, Governments in Britain produced new waste strategies focused on landfill reduction. This included the creation of a new dedicated agency for resource efficiency, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). Following a review of waste policy by the Prime Ministers Strategy Unit in 2002, the Government also started the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme to direct local authorities towards actual limits to the amount of waste they landfill, or to buy credits from other councils if they fail to meet their own prescribed limits. It has also released significant new funding, from the additional revenue generated by the Landfill Tax, which is helping businesses reduce their impact on landfill and improve their resource efficiency. England’s Regional Development Agencies are key delivery bodies within this programme, known as BREW (Business Resource Efficiency in Waste). UK websites if you want to know a little more:
www.letsrecycle.com a daily news website covering all aspects of UK and EU waste and recycling developments
www.mrw.co.uk Materials Recycling Week news website
www.defra.gov.uk Department for the Environment official website
www.wrap.org.uk Waste and Resources Action Programme
www.recyclenow.com WRAP’s Recycle Now public campaign to promote recycling
www.environment-agency.gov.uk information on waste regulation from the environment protection body for England and Wales
www.sepa.gov.uk the equivalent for Scotland
www.envirowise.org.uk information on business waste minimisation, Government funded
Zero Waste NZ ran a seminar on 'Resource Efficiency in the UK' in April 2007 with our 2 traveling guests from the UK - Ray Georgeson and Angela White. They shared their British experience in waste policy, the use of landfill levies, resource efficiency for business and involving communities in waste. Here's some introduction on their achievements.  RAY GEORGESON is Director of Policy and Evaluation for WRAP – the Waste and Resources Action Programme, and in New Zealand as part of a six month sabbatical. Ray is a recognised figure in UK waste and recycling policy. Following a period developing social enterprises and educational projects in recycling Ray served as Executive Director of Waste Watch (1996-2000) where he supported the development of the Government’s policy on recycling market development, culminating in the creation of WRAP after the publication of Waste Strategy 2000. Ray has worked for WRAP since its launch in 2001. Ray has served on several non-profit boards and Government advisory groups, including CREATE UK (charity providing training for unemployed people through reuse of WEEE products), the Community Recycling Network, London Remade, and the Environment Council. For the Government, Ray served on the Advisory Panel on Beacon Councils in 1999-2000, the Department of Environment’s Market Development Group examining market barriers to recycling, and to the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit in the Cabinet Office, which conducted a review of waste policy in England (the ‘Waste Not, Want Not’ report). WRAP is a UK Government funded, non-profit making agency dedicated to increasing resource efficiency in the UK. WRAP works across the spectrum of resource efficiency, from recycling market development and improving business resource efficiency, through to household waste minimisation, public education and communication campaigns and working with retailers to reduce their impact on household waste generation. (Ray has been voted three times as one of the 100 most influential people in UK's waste minimisation sector -1st place in 2005 and 5th place last year). Some backgrounds on UK's waste scene>>> Click here ANGELA WHITE has been Sustainable Development Manager for Resource Efficiency at Yorkshire Forward for three years. During this time she has developed the Agency’s policy and funding programme around resource efficiency and waste. In particular Angela was responsible for the design, funding and initial development of Recycling Action Yorkshire. This is a regional market development programme supporting the development of recycling markets within the region. Prior to Yorkshire Forward, Angela was an environmental consultant with not-for-profit waste consultancy SWAP where she worked on a range of waste issues. She led SWAP’s work with the retail sector, including waste advice to a number of leading UK high street retailers and their supply chain. She was the project manager for the National Waste Awareness Initiative and delivered a range of waste communications campaigns at a national and local level. Angela also managed a network of computer refurbishment centres, establishing a code of conduct for their operations and representing their interests at a national level. She has a degree in Environmental Management. Ray and Angela are both taking sabbaticals from their waste jobs in the UK, and find themselves in New Zealand as part of their world tour.
|
