Ambitious plans to save seven million tonnes of CO2, prevent three million tonnes of waste and save the UK economy almost £2 billion were unveiled by Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the organisation working with UK Governments to improve resource efficiency.

The targets were developed by WRAP and unveiled as part of the organisation's new business plan, launched by Chief Executive Liz Goodwin at the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) Conference in London.

She said the organisation's focus would be on preventing waste occurring in the first place with continued focus on recycling, repairing and reusing. She also said there would be a greater emphasis on supporting communities, businesses and individuals who wanted to make changes with practical, research-based advice, citing the million people using the organisation's Recycle Now and Love Food Hate Waste websites.

-- Advertisement --

"Each of the four UK Governments recognises that resource efficiency is central to their environmental objectives which can boost the economy and are funding WRAP to help deliver that," she said.

"They naturally each have their distinctive national priorities differently but they trust our expertise and ability to bring people together towards a common cause and that's what underpins our Business Plan.

"A huge amount has been achieved over recent years and I'm proud of WRAP’s role in that but there is still much to do. We're really optimistic that the UK will embrace the challenges ahead – not just because greater resource efficiency is sustainable and good for the environment, but because it saves money, and generates new opportunities for businesses and creates jobs.

"To make this happen, our focus will be on minimising resource use and diverting waste from landfill. The targets we've set ourselves are stretching but we have a track record of delivering the goals set in previous plans so these are achievable, particularly if we all work together."

She went on to reveal the areas for action and highlighted new areas in which the organisation would start to work.

"Our business model is all about identifying sectors which need support, then sharing our expertise to bring about tried and tested solutions to improve resource efficiency.

"Two of the new areas we’ll be working in are reducing waste in the hospitality sector and encouraging more reuse of textiles. We'll also be doing even more to support SMEs and we'll continue to support anaerobic digestion plants being built to create energy and compost," she concluded.

(CD)