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RECYCLING
WASTE A "CRITICAL ISSUE" FOR
THE SOUTH EAST
2
November 2000
Getting
to grips with the "critical issue" of developing markets
for recycled waste was the aim of a top level conference at Guildford
Civic Centre, co-sponsored by the South East England Development
Agency (SEEDA) and Hampshire County Council, supported by local
authorities from across the region.
With the volume
of household and industrial waste in the South East growing rapidly
year on year, widespread public opposition to incinerators, and
the shortage of sites for landfill waste disposal, the need to
develop markets for recycled waste materials had become an important
issue, the conference was told. But, said the Chairman of the
SEEDA Sustainable Development Committee, Mrs Kit Oliver, in her
keynote speech, waste recycling could actually be an "economic
opportunity" that the region could ill afford to miss.
"By recycling
waste", she explained, "we can replace non-renewable
natural resources and contribute to sustainable economic development
in the South East. A fifth of our total waste stream can be recycled
and that is the opportunity we must grasp." Innovative ideas
on recycling that were new to the UK but had been "tried
and tested" in the US could be taken up here in the South
East of England - for example, the Clean Washington programme
run from Seattle.
SEEDA was
pleased, Kit Oliver added, to help link local authorities and
businesses across the region, exert influence on the Government,
encourage manufacturers to use recycled materials, and identify
new markets for recycled goods.
Speaking on
behalf of Hampshire County Council, Bob Lisney OBE, told the conference
there was "an enormous potential market for recycled waste"
and this included millions of tonnes of glass, metals, textiles,
plastics, paper and card. He praised SEEDA for its commitment
to sustainable development and said that by tackling the waste
management issue the Agency could make "a powerful impact"
on the region.
Director of
the Kent Sustainable Business Partnership, Stephen Rees, echoed
these comments, adding that the main challenge facing SEEDA was
to "get the message across" to the South East's business
community. Opportunities for recycling were being missed, he explained,
and there was considerable inertia among local authorities and
businesses alike, owing to the "tradition of using landfills
and not exploring sustainable alternatives to waste disposal."
The conference
concluded by identifying the following actions:
- conducting
research into the market for recyclables, and businesses currently
using recycled materials;
- bringing together the key decision makers of all the
South East's major waste management companies;
- linking with National Government initiatives;
- working with other regions to address waste recycling
as a national issue; and
- organising a further conference next Spring to review
progress and to reach a wider audience including representatives
of the waste management industry.
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