As the world is trying to safely navigate its way into 2021, it’s allowed us all to take stock of what we have, what we need to focus on, what we need and importantly – what we don’t need. One major area of focus is our Natural Capital, one of our most valuable assets. It’s the air we breathe, the water we drink, our land, everything we need to live our lives day in, day out.
What do we really need and why aren’t we all aligned on that?
The easy answer with waste and resource is to only use what we need to, reuse it if we can, save what’s worth saving and don’t waste what we have little of. It’s fairly simple when we look at our own behaviours, but what about when we look at communities, towns, cities, counties, countries and businesses? We all have different resources, different goals and a different set of rules. So, what can help us moving forward to a better future?
The Government here in the UK outlined their strategy for waste and resource management in an effort to “eliminate avoidable waste of all kinds by 2050” which included a 25-year Environment Plan, a blueprint of real ambition with policy to back it up. The policy covered areas such as sustainability in production, considered consumer action, resource management, war on waste crime, food waste and more.
Minimising waste is a must, but inevitably, we need to generate some. As we consume and as we create, there is going to be waste. What we do with that waste is important in resourcing efficiently and moving towards a circular economy. Minimising the footprint on the planet is vital but for business decision-makers, we also need to look at effective waste management.
Managing Director of GPT Waste Management, Guy Cherry, explains that in the UK, we need to be more worldly with our thinking.
“Successive governments have endeavoured to provide overarching guidance on how waste and the environment should move forward. Truth is, in relation to the waste management marketplace, the UK has tracked significantly behind continental Europe”
“Landfill tax was a benefit to the exchequer, and this was kept artificially low in comparison to Europe. This neither drove innovation nor did it enhance Environmental policy. Things are undoubtedly changing and there is an appetite to extract commercial value from waste; whether driven by government or as a positive investment action. Waste as a resource and it’s intrinsic benefits is happening and I feel that is a good thing; let’s provide solutions to waste producers, assist in waste mitigation, maximise recycling where possible and generally clean the whole place up”.
As a leading independent provider of solutions in this space, GPT Waste is at the ready to help businesses evaluate their current state of waste, whether your solution is up to date or whether you need a future-forward strategy. GPT Waste has worked across many industries on waste projects big and small, from defence to healthcare, to manufacturing projects and more. Over the past 5 years alone, GPT Waste has facilitated over 2 million movements across the UK, managed over 50,000 tonnes of waste across the UK per year. Throughout this time, 95.82% landfill diversion has been delivered on all tonnage under GPT management.
GPT Waste offers a strategic review of your waste management requirements in order to identify environmental and cost benefits. Our approach has made us the UK’s leading independent waste management company. To speak to someone about your waste management requirements, call 0844 854 5000 or email info@gptwaste.com.
