Waste sector eager to overcome obstacles

Two months ago AEA started a series of workshops exploring barriers and solutions to the delivery of waste infrastructure projects.

Since then, there have been some significant developments. The Green Investment Bank has opened for business, Scotland has legislated for businesses to source segregate their wastes, and the European Parliament has taken significant steps towards potential future zero landfill legislation.

However, there has much in the sector that has not changed, in particular progress on new waste infrastructure development projects. Facilities like the Kings Lynn incinerator face further challenges from local communities and politicians, studies have identified the lack of comprehensive data on infrastructure and arisings, and market volatility continues as gate fees for food waste took a plunge whilst those for waste wood rose.

Over the past two months, AEA has met with over 200 industry stakeholders at 12 European Pathway to Zero Waste (EP0W) infrastructure workshops. Analysing the commentary shared at these events sheds light on the perpetual obstacles facing the sector, on those which are dissipating as a result of policy and market mechanisms, and on potential solutions to those which remain.

Infrastructure

The series of 16 planned workshops is part of the Environment Agency and WRAPs EP0W programme funded by the EU LIFE+ fund, looking to identify barriers and solutions to delivering an appropriate infrastructure landscape for business waste in the South East of England. AEA designed the workshop programme and invited a broad range of stakeholders to debate the relevance and criticality of a range of obstacles, including planning, public perception, finance, technology and market risks. The workshops take place at operational waste facilities around the region.

The finance debates have featured many reflections on the future of the Green Investment Bank. There have been frustrations over its delivery timescale, as well as some positive messages about government acting to instil faith in the sector for private lenders. However, recently the conversations have been more critical as stakeholders grow wary of the GIBs funding criteria.

here is concern that it will have no more appetite for risk than traditional funders and will not be a real option for projects which fail to secure finance elsewhere.
Local opposition to development has been mentioned at every event. The resignation that there will always be a degree of community opposition is common to almost all participants so far. A range of creative (if partial) solutions have been proposed for this obstacle; from recruiting celebrity advocates for the waste sector, to demonstrating transparency at annual facility open days.

Action

Scotlands Zero Waste Regulations have fuelled a lot of the discussion over potential solutions to the business waste problem. Applying a similar approach in England would immediately create the need for processing infrastructure and therefore speed through its development. However, many people have also commented that it is unlikely that England will take similarly authoritative action, especially in the current climate. Instead, a number of alternative solutions have been proposed from widespread education programmes to the delivery of more simple and accessible collection systems.

The EP0W discussions so far have been fascinating and have generated long lists of potential recommendations which AEAs final report will present to the Environment Agency in August. AEA will also deliver a summary presentation at the RWM with CIWM exhibition in September.

Ingenuity

What has been most striking for us to date, is the fervent determination of our participants and the host facilities to overcome the obstacles, drive resource recovery and make the most of challenging market and policy environments. The entrepreneurial ingenuity of some of the people weve met inspires a lot of confidence in the future of our sector, in spite of, and because of, its turbulent nature.

The debate continues at four more EP0W workshops in the first week of July. The days morning discussions are usually followed by a tour of an operational waste facility where successful outcomes can be observed in practice.