The 'Pathway To Zero Waste' initiative, which was founded by the Environment Agency, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), aims to promote resource efficiency among the region's businesses in a bid to reduce both their waste volumes and operating costs.
We need to think of waste as a resource, and Pathway To Zero Waste is a big step towards doing that
Hilary Benn
It plans to develop a “viable” market for recovered and recycled content materials in the South-East, ensuring there is both demand and enough local facilities to deliver a ready supply of materials.
The three agencies, along with their partners that include Defra, NISP and the Government Office for the South East, intend to initially focus on construction and demolition (C&D) waste, before they move onto food and wood waste.
They will work with organisations including local government, construction companies, waste management firms, financial institutions and large food and drink producers and retailers.
Backing for the scheme came from Mr Benn, who said: “This is a bold step towards the sustainable, low-carbon, zero-waste economy that we all want to achieve. We need to stop asking how we will dispose of the waste we create and ask why we are getting rid of it all. Because, in many cases, we shouldn't.
“In difficult economic times, reducing waste and unnecessary costs makes sense. We must recognise that there are opportunities here, particularly in the South-East. But, we need to think of waste as a resource, and Pathway To Zero Waste is a big step towards doing that,” he added.
As part of its initial work on C&D waste, the initiative has set the target of reducing C&D waste sent to landfill to 50% of 2008 levels by 2011, one year ahead of national and industry targets.
And, it is aiming to reduce this further, to 90% of 2008 levels by 2020, which, it says, will “pave the way” for a zero waste region.
Operating costs
The director of the initiative, Dr Chindarat Taylor, claimed that by 2011, the project would save businesses an estimated £370 million in operating costs.
As well as reducing the amount of businesses waste send to landfill and their reliance on using virgin materials, the scheme also aims to create jobs in new infrastructure, reduce company's carbon footprint and build companies' competitive advantage and reputation.
She explained: “The comprehensive network of recovery and recycling infrastructure needed to support smarter resource use – which PTZW will help establish – will bring investment and create job opportunities, providing further economic benefits and helping to deliver long-term sustainable prosperity.”
Claiming that the Pathway To Zero Waste initiative would be a “catalyst of change”, she said it would be “bringing private and public sector organisations together and focussing on what needs to be done to deliver rapid, significant and lasting improvements to the way we view and manage waste.”
“The result will be lower costs, new jobs and a better environment. It's a win, win, win situation for the South East,” she added.
The Pathway To Zero Waste scheme will operate in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex.
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