WRc's Waste Doctors RWM Expo 2024 - round-up and news

This week, for two action-packed days, the Resource & Waste Management (RWM) expo was the home of WRc’s Waste Doctors. The expo covered everything to do with waste, recycling and disposal services - across five activity-packed shows.

Over 12,000 professionals, from every sector related to the environment, enjoyed over 300 talks and products and services from more than 600 providers, exploring innovative, sustainable solutions to UK-focused and global waste and resource challenges.

At times, the buzz around the Waste Doctors was so vigorous it felt like all 12,000 visitors had descended on Stand EN-I11 at once!

RWM is all about addressing resource scarcity, plastic pollution and environmental concerns through circular economy strategies, this sector focuses on promoting recycling, waste reduction and the sustainable use of materials. It highlights environmental issues and policies in resource management, ensuring ecological balance and addressing development issues for long-term economic growth.

WRc’s Waste Doctors play a significant role in supporting circular economy strategies by analysing, identifying and classifying clients’ waste to make sure the waste is then handled in the most sustainable and environmentally friendly way possible. This show perfectly aligns with the Waste Doctors’ services in waste characterisation, classification and recovery services, making it the perfect platform for them to introduce themselves to potential new clients, and, equally as importantly, meet up with past and present clients for a glass of their now famous on-stand Prosecco. (In reusable flutes, of course!)

And just as with the previous two years, visitors to WRc’s Waste Doctors didn’t leave the stand with non-sustainable giveaways, instead they were invited to sign the Doctors’ unique pledge book. In return for every signature, WRc donated £1 to Reuse Network - roughly what it would cost to provide each signatory with a giveaway. Reuse Network is a national charity helping alleviate poverty, reduce waste, and tackle climate change by diverting millions of usable household items from landfill into low-income households.

The initiative has been received with great enthusiasm by visitors to the stand. The grand total donation from the 2-day show will be announced very soon!

The expo delivered a dynamic two-day programme filled with insightful seminars and panel discussions addressing the urgent challenges facing the waste and recycling sectors. The five shows provided a comprehensive overview of the latest innovations, technologies and policy changes driving sustainability efforts in the UK.

The focus on waste and recycling set the tone for the first day. One standout session was the "Roadmap to Obtaining the Highest Recycling Rate in the UK," which confronted the stagnation of recycling rates and explored ways to boost community-wide engagement with advanced technologies. The critical need for innovation in waste management was further underscored in the session "Waging War on Plastics at the Touch of a Button," where HERU™ (Hybrid Energy Resource Unit) demonstrated its potential to convert everyday waste, including nappies, into clean, carbon-neutral energy.

Food waste also took centre stage in the seminar "Rethinking Food Waste Reduction." This session engaged local authorities and stakeholders in developing strategies to reduce food waste through consumer education, local initiatives and collaboration with food businesses. Similarly, the session on carbon capture at Energy from Waste (EfW) plants, featuring the UK’s first EfW carbon capture pilot at Ferrybridge, highlighted how the sector could dramatically reduce emissions by 2050.

The "Sustainable Plastic Packaging in 2034" session was another forward-looking discussion, envisioning a future shaped by policy shifts, bio-based materials and advanced recycling technologies. The dialogue highlighted the innovation and collaboration needed to tackle plastic pollution over the next decade.

Over on the Summit Stage, Chris Packham, TV presenter, author and environmental campaigner, was interviewed by Niki Roach (below) in a live recording of Planet Possible, a podcast series by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, which tells the stories of the people paving the way for positive planetary and societal change. The fascinating discussion covered biodiversity (decreasing alarmingly), hot enviro-political topics, neurodiversity and resistance to change. Niki asked Chris what he felt were the two biggest things everyone in the live audience (and listening to the podcast) could do to lower their carbon footprint. Without having to think more than few seconds Chris’ response was, “Don’t have children, or at least only have one,” and “Change where your money is. Economic pressure is powerful.”

In the Circular Economy space, the discussion ‘Putting reuse at the heart of the circular economy,’ led by Reuse Network’s CEO Craig Anderson, emphasised the social and environmental benefits of reusing materials. For example, the current reuse of sofas in the UK avoids 52,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent entering the atmosphere (Source: Reuse Network Social Impact Report 2023). Tania Laugier from DHL-EnviroSolutions spoke about the “take-back” collaboration DHL has had over the past 10 years with Currys and Reuse Network, where DHL diverts useable appliances collected from Currys’ customers to Reuse Network who distribute to low-income households. To date 93,000 low-income households have been supported, saving £13 million worth of appliances from landfill. The key, as each speaker stressed, is to avoid classifying reusable items as waste. Once that happens, not only are those items less psychologically appealing to potential new users, but they may have to be diverted to landfill or incineration, depending on their composition; the latter if they contain persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The panel agreed that the waste sector needs to better prepare for the circular economy to be a success, and for that there needs to be engagement with stakeholders and collaboration not competition between them.

The second and final day of the expo included a future-focused panel discussion on environment and sustainability in 2024. Thought leaders, including representatives from The Carbon Trust and Surfers Against Sewage, tackled topics such as policy changes, technological advances and biodiversity. The session offered a crucial glimpse into the future, highlighting the ever-growing role of businesses in adapting to a more sustainable world.

Another notable session was "Preparing UK Businesses for Deposit Returns," which examined the forthcoming national Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). The impending implementation of reverse vending machines promises to revolutionise recycling efforts across the country and the session emphasised the need for businesses to prepare now.

One of the event’s most inspiring segments was the Women in Sustainability panel, where influential women in the environmental sector, including leaders from WRAP, Biffa and Resource Futures, shared their experiences. The discussion stressed the importance of female representation in leadership and underscored how diversity drives impactful environmental change. Alongside other initiatives like promoting green jobs to young people, this session highlighted the expo's commitment to fostering inclusivity within the sector.

Overall, the two-day expo provided a 360-degree exploration of the current and future landscape of resource and waste management, blending practical solutions with visionary ideas, mirroring the services of our very own Waste Doctors. From carbon capture technology to empowering diverse voices in sustainability, the event highlighted the collaborative effort needed to combat environmental challenges and foster a sustainable future.