opportunities for re-use of resources Carl Nichols Head of - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Maximising the

• pportunities

for re-use of resources

Carl Nichols Head of Business & Markets

ABOUT WRAP WRAP’s vision is a world without waste, where resources are used sustainably. We help businesses, individuals and communities reap the benefits of reducing waste, developing sustainable products and using resources in an efficient way.

What will be covered

• What is EPOW
• Feasibility study (2011)
• Conditions for a commodity market for end-of-waste

materials (2012)

• Creating a waste exchange
• Lessons learned

European Pathway to Zero Waste

EPOW is a partnership between The Environment Agency and WRAP. It is a LIFE+ project, part funded by the EU Commission and will run to the end of March 2013. EPOW will collaborate with industry and the public sector in the South East to meet its goals.

About EPOW

Eight steams of work:

• Developing quality protocols
• Tackling waste crime
• Creating demand for sustainable materials
• Creating a trading platform for sustainable products
• Waste sector infrastructure
• Innovative electronic tools
• Supporting best practice
• New data management techniques

Creating a trading platform for sustainable products

EPOW Commissioned the following studies: A. Feasibility of a commodity market in waste materials for the South East B. Conditions for a commodity market for end-of-waste materials C. Creation and promotion of a waste exchange

Commodity Market Feasibility Study

Eight end-of-waste materials were considered:

• waste wood;
• non-packaging plastics;
• aggregates;
• tyres bales;
• paper sludge ash (PSA);
• plasterboard (PLA),
• pulverised fuel ash (PFA); and
• furnace bottom ash (FBA).

Commodity Market Feasibility Study

Recommendations from the report:

• A commodity market in waste wood is viable
• There should be an on going programme, addressing the ways

public and private sectors can work together within the waste wood market

• Waste exchange services should be promoted and developed
• Public sector support for a commodity market in waste wood

should be investigated

Conditions for a commodity market for end-of-waste materials

EPOW commissioned a study in 2011 to investigate the conditions required for a commodity market for end-

• f-waste materials

www.environment-agency.gov.uk/epow

Conditions for a commodity market for end-of-waste materials

First steps, assessed

• Existing waste wood market
• Conditions for a commodity exchange

– commoditisation – financial feasibility of an exchange

• Landfill diversion - what would happen anyway
• Incremental impact of waste wood commodity exchange

Conditions for a commodity market for end-of-waste materials

Landfill diversion: Important to distinguish between – what may happen in the future anyway – what would happen as a result of a waste wood commodity exchange

• Anticipated growth in demand for waste wood for

biomass generation, driven by renewables policies - likely that price of untreated waste wood will rise

• It may lead to investment in WID-compliant plants which

can burn treated waste wood, thus leading to landfill diversion

Conditions for a commodity market for end-of-waste materials

Impacts:

• Set up and operating costs of an exchange
• Benefit from a more liquid market, reducing cost of finding

partners

• Only a small incremental impact on landfill diversion is expected
• An exchange is potentially viable and the developments may

include the commercial establishment of an exchange for wood waste

• Closer contact of the producers and users of wood potentially

facilitate the internationalisation of standards for wood waste

Conditions for a commodity market for end-of-waste materials

Recommendations:

• Wood standards need to be

tightened for a wood commodity market to take place

• Government subsidy for such an

exchange is not justified due to its limited impact on landfill diversion

• Policy makers should monitor

market developments over the coming years

Creation and promotion of a waste exchange

www.wpesoutheast.co.uk

Creation and promotion of a waste exchange

Facts about the site

• Launched 21 May 2012, www.wpesoutheast.co.uk
• Fully automated on-line portal, designed to buy and sell

waste materials

• Initial focus - construction & demolition; commercial &

industrial sectors

• Comprehensive marketing campaign
• Project duration 6 months to 5 October 2012
• Training workshops across the South East England
• Free site visits and waste audits

Creation and promotion of a waste exchange

How it works:

• Free membership
• Free uploading/posting of waste
• Once registered, can communicate

with other members

• You can set a minimum price for

your materials and accept the

• ffers you want
• Reverse vending, allowing you to

pay for waste collections at more competitive rates

www.wpesoutheast.co.uk www.wpesoutheast.co.uk

“The site looks too complicated and busy”

Feedback on the portal

“We have limited storage facilities” “Taking photographs is too much effort” “I can’t afford the time to learn this” “We don’t want to change the collection process” “It’s hard to see the quality of material from a photo” “7 Day listings are too short” “Need to be able to see how many miles from me the waste is” “Portal needs to be simpler to use” “I already use forums to sell my waste”

Lessons learned

• Further government subsidy for commodity exchanges is not

justified at this time, although policy makers should monitor market developments over the coming years

• Waste is being exchanged using different methods and these

include online forums and business networking sites

• Any online portal needs to be easy and intuitive to use
• Behavioural change is required for the way businesses see

and store their waste

YOU CAN HEAR MORE ABOUT THE EPOW PROGRAMME AT 1PM ON WEDNESDAY IN THE COMMERCE & INDUSTRY THEATRE OR VISIT US AT WRAP STAND 19W25 EPOW ALSO IN THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES HUB

Thank you Carl.nichols@wrap.org.uk