Nurturing green growth

It used to be that when you said you were from Wales thered be preconceptions about rugby and male voice choirs. In recent years in the waste and resources field at least that is no longer the case. Now people are more likely to talk about Wales green credentials, about the Welsh Governments commitment to sustainability, or about the charge for single-use carrier bags.

Yet while Wales has quite rightly earned itself a reputation as a green pioneer there is a huge amount of work yet to be done, not least because of the Welsh Governments target of recycling 70%t of all wastes by 2025. And while local authorities have gained plaudits for their impressive municipal recycling rates, we will not reach our ambition without serious and sustained focus on commercial and industrial waste.

Over the past four years WRAP Cymru has offered business support services which have helped grow the recycling and reprocessing sector and divert ever-greater tonnages from landfill. Yet while we are proud to have played a part in many success stories we have come to recognise that this business support is not enough. If we want to become a high-recycling nation it is essential that investment is made in infrastructure and markets for recyclate developed.

This is not simply an environmental issue; the Welsh Governments Collections, Infrastructure and Markets (CIMs) Sector Plan, published in July this year, sets out potential savings of 60 million per annum by 2050 if the 70 per cent recycling rate for commercial and industrial waste is met.

WRAP Cymru is contributing to this target with our range of business support in the way of feasibility studies, implementation plans and grants for small and medium reprocessors and manufacturers. But all of us involved in the recycling and reprocessing sector need to do more.

Quality

Firstly we need to work to demolish the myth that recycled content means inferior quality. None of us is remotely concerned about reading newspapers made from recycled paper or drinking beer from recycled bottles or cans, so why are some businesses still averse to using recycled materials? What can the reprocessing sector which only stands to benefit do to encourage manufacturers to innovate and become more receptive to the concept of high quality recycled content?

In addition we have to show our confidence in the sector and in its potential as a catalyst for wider economic growth by investing in new infrastructure, particularly in those areas most in need of regeneration.

WRAP Cymrus Accelerating Reprocessing Infrastructure Development (ARID) Programme, which is funded by the European Regional Development Programme (ERDF) through the Welsh Government, aims to divert key commercial and industrial wastes from landfill while creating around 100 new jobs. The programme provides grants for manufacturers to use recycled content and funding for collections and bring sites for small and medium businesses. The heart of the programme, however, is the Large Scale Infrastructure and Reprocessing Facilities fund.

Funding

This provides reprocessors with up to 40% match funding for significant infrastructure projects based in Wales Convergence Region (thus designated because per capita GDP is less than 75% of the EU average). Its grants will accelerate the development of reprocessing facilities and boost Wales commercial and industrial recycling rate. They will also help ensure that our manufacturers have a secure, domestic raw material source and that our workers can benefit from new sustainable jobs in the regions which need them the most.

We all know that the current economic climate has made trading conditions difficult for businesses throughout the UK, and that the reprocessing sector is not immune. But if we are really serious about growing the sector and realising the business, economic and environmental benefits that this will bring we have to be prepared to invest in infrastructure. Good advice is not enough.

Applications for the current Large Scale Infrastructure and Reprocessing Facilities funding round close 4 December 2012. To apply or find out more visit www.wrapcymru.org.uk.