WRAP appoints new director to lead organics programme

The organisation is promoting Dr Swannell, currently the head of its retail innovation team, promising to expand the organics programme into new areas as part of WRAP's 2006-08 Business Plan.

” Defining the point at which quality compost becomes a product, and ceases to be a waste, will be an early priority. “
– Dr Richard Swannell, WRAP
Anne O&#39B;rien – who has headed up WRAP's organics programme since 2001 – will remain on the organics team after Dr Swannell takes charge as an expert on the sector, the organisation said.

Until April, when WRAP's new Business Plan starts, Dr Swannell will remain carrying out his innovation role – helping retailers to minimise their generation of waste. However, he will also begin developing WRAP's new organics strategy and meeting key stakeholders in the sector.

Dr Swanell explained that the new organics programme would see WRAP aiming to drive up demand for organic wastes in key markets including the restoration of land.

Demand
He said: “WRAP’s plans to drive up demand in key markets, including brownfield site restoration, will mean building strong relationships with companies and organisations to demonstrate the benefits that quality compost can bring them.”

There will also be more work on compost standards and markets, he said, with WRAP playing “an increasingly important role in helping the UK to meet its Landfill Directive targets for biodegradable waste diversion”.

Dr Swannell added: “Working with the Environment Agency on defining the point at which quality compost becomes a product, and ceases to be a waste, will be an early priority for the team.”

Organics
The organics programme has so far formed one of nine market development programmes, with WRAP's key targets to increase the capacity for recycling kitchen and garden waste by 300,000 tonnes and the collection of organic waste by 150,000 tonnes by the end of this month (March 2006).

Ms O’Brien said: “I am really proud of the fantastic work that the Organics team has done over the last four years, including development of the national standard for compost, BSI PAS 100, large scale funding to support extra collection and composting capacity and providing training to 1,000 representatives within the organics industry.

“I am looking forward to working closely with Richard as we take the programme on to further successes in the future,” she added.