WasteAid at RWM in Birmingham

News

Author: Admin

Published: 30 July 2021

The WasteAid team is returning to RWM, the UK’s major resources and waste management exhibition.

RWM is the leading recycling, resource, and waste management event in the UK – showcasing the latest innovations shaping the sustainability sector to the industry’s most influential names and organisations.

Each year, recycling and waste management professionals travel from around the world to collaborate with forward-thinking businesses, public sector bodies, government departments and not-for-profit organisations on building a more resource-efficient future.

Both days are packed with unmissable seminars from resource management thought leaders and figureheads; offering expert advice and invaluable guidance and support. The show will also be home to hundreds of cutting-edge exhibitors, who will display the latest environmentally sound and profitable solutions.

RWM, in partnership with CIWM, is the event that truly connects the resource and waste management industry.

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Meet our CEO, Ceris Turner-Bailes

Ceris Turner-Bailes became WasteAid’s CEO in April 2020, and will be speaking at RWM to share her perspective on the shifting landscape of global waste management.

As global demand for secondary materials grows, the face of the global waste management market is changing faster than ever. Ceris will discuss the trends observed through the lens of the UK’s only non-profit dedicated to putting people at the centre of the circular economy.

Key themes include corporate and extended producer responsibility programmes, the emergence of offsetting schemes, and the growing use of technology for waste tracking. WasteAid has a unique perspective on the market’s priorities, goals and future risks.

This session will be tailored for businesses and institutions that are looking to make a positive impact on the global waste management landscape and inclusive, sustainable development.

 

What a difference… two years make

Since the last RWM in 2019, WasteAid has been working with partners in lower and middle-income countries to deliver inclusive waste collection, recycling and circular economy programmes.

In The Gambia, WasteAid has recently launched a new EU-funded project in partnership with Kanifing Municipal Council and Women’s Initiative The Gambia to recover food waste from markets and use it to make compost and biochar. These products will help improve the soil at the women’s gardens where most crops are grown, by increasing water and nutrient retention. The women gardeners will also be learning how to transform woody waste into charcoal briquettes, a low-smoke cooking fuel that reduces pressure on the fragile Casamance Forest. These activities will reduce the amount of waste requiring disposal at Bakoteh dumpsite, while building climate resilience in the country’s agricultural sector.

In Cameroon, WasteAid’s UK Aid Match project is well-underway, which will see 164 young unemployed people from the coastal city of Douala trained in the collection and recycling of plastic waste. Through a partnership with local enterprise REDPLAST and agreements with local Town Halls, the project will build one of the city’s first inclusive circular economy programmes, paving the way for sustainable waste management and contributing to many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Thanks to funding from Bunzl plc in 2020, WasteAid delivered a 12 month project in Bali, Indonesia, which has seen a village waste collection and recycling programme divert 90% of waste from landfill, and a training curriculum developed for young women to work in some of Bali’s top hotels as Zero Waste Champions. Further funding from Bunzl plc in 2021 has enabled a new project to be delivered in Cameroon, working with another Town Hall in Douala to recruit 30 vulnerable and marginalised people and train them to become plastic collection and recycling champions in local markets.

WasteAid’s growing team of waste management and international development specialists has also been running an international Circular Economy Network in South Africa, India and Vietnam, funded by Huhtamaki. Through a series of online and in-person events, the project is bringing together entrepreneurs, innovators, researchers, policymakers and funders to raise the profile of circular economy activities, culminating in the Zero Waste Cities Challenge. This innovation competition has attracted 100 applicants from across the three focus countries, and the shortlisted applicants are now undergoing business development training to refine their business plans and become pitch-ready. Winners will be awarded €10,000 and free business support to help make their inclusive circular economy enterprise a success.

WasteAid’s growth has benefitted from additional support from Proud Partner Biffa, as well as musicMagpie, Zumo and others businesses, individuals, trusts and foundations. With more plans in the pipeline, now is the time to partner with WasteAid if you’re looking to make a positive impact on global waste management – whether it’s to prevent marine plastic pollution, reduce climate emissions or help vulnerable communities to play a key role in the circular economy.

 

We look forward to meeting you at RWM, 21-22 September!

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Written by Zoë Lenkiewicz