The Circular Economy, Waste Exports, Capacity And Innovation – A Round-up Of RWM And Letsrecycle 2022

Investing in the circular economy is vital, but it takes time, was one of the key messages from last month’s RWM and Let’s Recycle Live event.

Advetec attended the industry event which brought together more than 7000 visitors, 200 speakers and 600 exhibitors from the waste, recycling and resource sectors. A wide variety of speakers took to the stage over the course of the two-day event, including Simon Gandy from SLR Consulting, James Pennington – Deloitte’s circular economy lead and Anna Willetts, the new President of the Chartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM)

One of the most striking facts shared at the event was that only 9% of the country’s waste efforts currently benefit the circular economy – a figure that highlights just how much more must be done to move fully from a linear model of consumption, to one of reduce, reuse and recycle.

Dr Stephen Wise, Chief Strategic Development Officer at Advetec said: “ Quite simply the UK isn’t doing enough. If we are to truly embrace the circular economy and address the limitations of our current waste infrastructure, we have to start thinking differently and embracing alternative methods.

“There’s already a universal acceptance we must reduce reliance on landfill – which the landfill tax promotes – but we must also look beyond EfW and recycling as the only other options. The event gave us a brilliant opportunity to really highlight where biotechnology adds value, not just in terms of creating cost certainty and reducing carbon emissions, but also turning waste that would otherwise be destined for landfill or incineration into a commodity. Turning unrecyclable residual waste into Solid Recovered Fuel – which can be used to replace high-carbon emitting coal – is the very embodiment of the circular economy model.”

The UK’s residual waste exports and whether they are coming to an end, as well as how this fits with tackling waste crime, were other subjects under debate as part of RWM and Let’s Recycle Live’s conference programme. In a panel discussion hosted by the RDF Industry Group between Mike Brown (Eunomia Research & Consulting) Andy Jones (Totus Environmental) Simon Ellin (The Recycling Associated Ltd) and Anna Willletts (CIWM), we were pleased to hear Anna pose an all-important question. She said: “It is a bold statement to stop all waste export in order to stop waste crime. Planning applications for new EfW plants will take years to process – so what will we do with all the waste staying in the UK?”

Simon Ellin highlighted the point further by stating that 85% of Europe’s cardboard production comes from recycled paper and that 60% of the paper waste collected in the UK each year is exported for this purpose. Without the option of exporting, the UK would have to incinerate this waste as it doesn’t have the recycling infrastructure and Europe would be denied a high-quality material – both of which are hugely counterproductive to the circular economy model.

Lee Knott, Chief Commercial Officer at Advetec said: “Anna’s question and Simon’s comments really highlight that a blanket ban on waste exports has serious ramifications and that it’s too simple an approach to what is a complex picture. We need time to develop the infrastructure this country needs if we are to handle the waste that is currently exported. As part of this we also need the UK to focus its attention on where we can create new capacity now and that means embracing proven alternatives such as biotechnology without delay. In doing so, we can make real gains for individual businesses, waste handlers, the environment and the circular economy.”

Lee concluded: “We had some very interesting conversations with waste handlers, local authorities and healthcare trusts all of whom really picked up on the need to think differently and accelerate their move towards Net Zero. Without question, our technology is integral to accelerating this country’s commitment to the circular economy.”