Dr Julian Parfitt, a waste statistics expert and Open University lecturer is the latest addition to the WRAP team. Dr Julian Parfitt will join WRAP as principal analyst in Spring 2002. Dr Parfitt has over 20 years experience in waste management research and played a significant role in reforming national municipal waste data for England and Wales.
Dr Parfitt's role within WRAP will focus on quantifying WRAP’s progress towards the targets set out in the business plan. He will also providing data assessment of new market areas where further recovery would be possible and will identify market share of recycled materials.
Ray Georgeson, WRAP's director of policy and communications, said: “I am delighted that Dr Parfitt is joining WRAP. His expertise in waste statistics and analysis will be invaluable in the assessment and the further development of WRAP’s programmes.”
Dr Parfitt has been the data analyst for DEFRA's annual municipal waste management survey as well as advising the Environment Agency on household waste compositional studies. He has also developed methods for assessing local authority recycling scheme performance under a research programme based at the University of East Anglia.
Dr Parfitt said: “I am looking forward to the challenge of working for WRAP on their programmes. A lack of accurate data on waste and recycling in the UK has always been a barrier to rational decision-making on waste management. We have gone some way in recent years towards rectifying this situation, but much remains to be done.”
45,000 for plastics
WRAP has also announced that has 45,000 to fund six plastics recycling workshops to promote plastics recycling and products made from recycled plastics.
The regional workshops, which will take place in Spring 2002, are to will be run by plastics recycling organisation RECOUP. The workshops aim to increase plastics collection levels and encourage increased sales of products containing recycled plastics to local government.
Andrew Simmons, chief executive of RECOUP, said: “These events are part of a sustained campaign to demonstrate the real opportunities in plastics recycling to decision-makers. We will be highlighting great products that incorporate recycled plastics and show how efficient plastics recycling systems can increase supplies of recyclate.
“This is a stage for the plastics recycling sector to communicate all the benefits – environmental, aesthetic and economic – of using recycled plastic. We are currently contacting recyclers and product suppliers to understand their latest capabilities. RECOUP extends a warm invitation to recyclers and manufacturers of products incorporating recycled plastics who want to promote their businesses at these events to contact us. We are especially interested in applications incorporating recycled plastics that are relevant to the public sector and to the packaging and logistics industries as we will be arranging events that specifically target decision makers in these areas.”
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