The organisers behind the RWM with CIWM show have published a market report on the sector, including the views of leading players within the industry.
The report recaps findings of the UK Trade and Investment that waste management sector was expected to grow 3.1% in 2013-14 with recovery and recycling seeing a 4% increase.
Sectors such as electric and electronic waste recycling are reported to see more growth than average. Financial incentives such as Landfill Tax, combined with competitive gate fees for different treatment options, have been contributed towards investment in higher stages of the waste hierarchy. Investments in renewable energy and alternative technologies have also seen an increase through accelerated planning approvals.
The report goes on to identify leading opportunities in the waste management sector including efficient treatment of residual waste as an energy source and development of innovative collection systems to preserve waste quality.
In order to take advantage of these opportunities, waste management firms will have to work together to develop new methods of doing business and meeting the demands of customers in the wider commercial, retail and industrial sectors.
The study includes an examination of the impact European Directives have on the development of waste policy in the UK. In the report, the CIWM urges the European Commission not to alter the 2020 targets in the various Directives, as businesses and public authorities alike have spent a considerable amount of time planning delivery of the targets.
“To move the goalposts now would undermine the business planning and investment,” the report says.
According to the study, the value of goods and services produced by the sector in 2010/11 was more than £12bn.
The number of people employed in the waste sector has increased by 8.2% to around 150,000 people in the last 12 months, with the recycling sector alone generating £10bn
Further opportunities for waste management as highlighted in the study include:
- Gaining value from recycling
- The use of waste materials in new products through re-processing of recyclate and waste streams.
- Residual waste refuse derived fuel (RDF) and solid recovered fuel (SRF) production to satisfy countries with surplus thermal treatment capacity (over 1.9m tonnes are permitted for export by the Environment Agency)
- Delivery of contracts based on specific waste streams and shorter-term local authority contracts based on specific waste streams across municipal and commercial sectors.
GPT Waste, the largest UK independent provider of waste management solutions and sustainable waste services. They continually demonstrate operational efficiency as well as financial savings via their innovative approach to waste management systems and routes to processes.
Follow us by clicking on the social icons below:
Reference:
