Three years on, reflecting on the changes...UNLESS…….

“Unless someone cares a whole lot, nothing’s going to change, it’s not” – The Lorax by Dr Seuss

Emerging from the pandemic, many people and businesses took the time to reflect about what was really important. Including us. In fact, we wrote about it.

At that time the discussion was around what was possible and how the pandemic shattered many pre-existing beliefs. Three years on, how much has changed in terms of more effective resource use, including recycling and circular economy initiatives? 

The Changing Face of Recycling

There’s an ongoing debate about whether recycling is genuinely making an impact. Last year Greenpeace brought out a controversial report claiming that it was not. This based on plateauing recycling rates and increasing volumes of waste. What really needed to change, the report claimed, was the amount of plastic still entering the economy. Cutting it off at the source, it claimed, was the only solution.

Perhaps, but not in the world we live in. Manufacturers are not going to stop producing products that are made from or packaged in plastic. And even if legislation to that effect is passed it will take years to formulate and implement.

A prime example is the EPR scheme which is only now just coming into effect, placing more responsibility on manufacturers for the materials they’re adding to the economy. Conceptually EPR should having the effect of increasing recycling and reuse and reducing virgin resources being used, but already it’s being hindered by complexities.

Regardless of the environmental impacts and the economic opportunities, systematic change takes time and requires dogged persistence. To simply dismiss recycling as part of the solution fails to see the bigger picture. Waste management is no longer collections and disposals, it’s significantly more.

Waste Management as the Critical Connection

Transforming commerce and industry requires an understanding of transforming what most businesses consider as waste to resources. In this the waste management sector has valuable insights to share. Take, for instance, some of the lessons learned in recycling:

1. With so many manufacturers trying to differentiate their products with unique packaging it’s made recycling more difficult. This has led to calls to simplify materials to make processing easier and more cost effective.
2. Design is pivotal. Most packaging has multiple components, most of which is superficial. Reducing the types of packaging used for a single product and simplifying it can have a significant impact on the volume of materials that need to be recycled.
3. There’s more than one solution and re-use needs to be part of that. There are volumes of resources that could easily be reused. Diverting them away from recycling for reuse can help ease the pressures on processing facilities and help them to become more efficient.
4. How we market our sector. Whatever you may think of the more controversial voices around the world, and their views on plastics, you cannot dispute how well they market their message. If only we could market our sector as well…..

The challenge with all of this is HOW? Even if businesses understand the reason why they need to take an alternative approach to resourcing, few have the in-house expertise that can champion the cause. This is where the waste and resource sector has a pivotal role to play.  They know the common pitfalls, understand the complexities involved, and have insight into what is needed in order to make a real impact.

Leveraging technology and innovation

There is significant investment being made available for innovation is resource management and the cross-sector opportunities are abundant.

One only has to look at projects such as Sherbourne Recycling to see the impact of technology. AI being used for sorting, automation enabling processing efficiency and the whole design aimed at being able to scale and adapt as recycling needs change. 

With increased electrification, it’s brought with it the challenge of recycling batteries. Creating digital passports for batteries to manage their lifecycle is one way in which technology is contributing to circular economy efforts. Increasingly those in IT with a passion for sustainability are developing tools and technology that can help measure impacts and report on them. 

With changing legislation, there’s likely to be a growing demand for these technologies. Equally from the resource sector there’s an opportunity to be involved to ensure that the right metrics are being tracked to avoid abuse of systems and combat greenwashing.

Those in the know…

As much as there’s opportunity, working in the resource sector can be frustrating. Consider all the recent flip flops in policy relating to recycling reforms, DPR and waste collection mandates issued to local authorities. Those in the know shake their heads in frustration. It’s hard to make decisions on investment when policy may wipe out revenue streams or place additional burdens on already constrained facilities.

And this is where the UNLESS comes into play. Unless there is a collective voice made up of people in the know, policy will always be driven by those who don’t. Those who have their own agenda or who simply don’t understand all the complexities of the situation.

The resource and waste management sector has the knowledge and expertise to know what could work and how best to implement changes. Through experience they also have a solid understanding of the many complexities and pitfalls that can hinder implementation.

Of all the voices that should be heard it’s the resource and waste management sector. It knows what’s needed, has the expertise to drive change and the passion to propel initiatives forward. Yet it’s being frustrated by the slow pace of legislative change. Unless our voice gets louder and our efforts more collaborative, we will always be at the mercy of those who don’t think things through. That’s not a world any of us want to live in…do you?