WasteAid welcomes Rebecca Colley-Jones as its newly appointed Circular Economy and Waste Management Lead.

WasteAid, the UK based international non-profit organisation that supports waste management expertise in the developing world and promotes circular economy innovation, has appointed Rebecca Colley-Jones to be its first Circular Economy and Waste Management Lead.

Joining with immediate effect, Rebecca will be a member of WasteAid’s senior management team and will oversee all technical aspects of WasteAid’s work. She will also play a key role in external engagement. Rebecca has had a career in the waste and resources sector spanning almost 25 years, starting her career as an environmental engineer. She was latterly employed by the Polyolefin Circular Economy Platform (PCEP) working towards delivering the system transformation of the polyolefin industry from a linear to a circular economy. Rebecca is a Fellow of CIWM and has held positions working internationally both at University of Northampton and Bangor University and Africa developing innovative and sustainable solutions for a wide variety of solid waste management (SWM) and circular economy (CE) issues. Rebecca has also worked on a number of projects for WRAP. 

Announcing the appointment, WasteAid Chief Executive, Ceris Turner-Bailes said: “Following an extensive search, we are delighted to welcome Rebecca Colley-Jones to WasteAid. Rebecca joins us at a hugely exciting time for the organisation as we have enjoyed extensive growth over the last few years. WasteAid has a much-expanded programme portfolio to deliver, but as always there is so much more to do. With her deep knowledge of the circular economy space and waste management, we know that Rebecca will make a massive contribution to the next phase of WasteAid’s development”.

 

Rebecca Colley-Jones appointed Circular Economy and Waste Management Lead with WasteAid.

Rebecca Colley-Jones said: “Having followed WasteAid’s development with interest since it started, I’m absolutely thrilled to join this growing and impactful organisation. Having seen first hand what waste management looks like in lower and middle income countries I firmly believe that the work that WasteAid are doing is critical in transitioning to a global circular economy. WasteAid projects empower local communities and provide economic opportunities that reduce the health impacts associated with poor waste management. WasteAid has a passionate and dynamic team and I’m looking forward to bringing my complementary skills and experience to help them make a difference where it is most needed.”

 

Now in its eighth year, WasteAid has grown from strength to strength and has more than quadrupled in size since 2020 with programmes being delivered in 9 countries. WasteAid works with communities and policy makers in low and middle-income countries to implement circular solutions focused on waste management and recycling. WasteAid’s work improves the livelihoods of some of the most marginalised, promotes circular economy innovation and contributes to a cleaner and healthier future for all. Its key funders now include Bunzl Plc, Biffa, CIWM, Dow Packaging, EU, Huhtamaki Group Plc and UKRI.

Chair of the Board of WasteAid, Sarahjane Widdowson said: “We are delighted to welcome Rebecca Colley-Jones to WasteAid. Rebecca has already made her mark in the waste management sector and is a well-respected expert in her field. It will be incredibly exciting to see Rebecca using her extensive skills and experience to support WasteAid’s projects and overall development. The Board very much looks forward to working with her and the rest of the senior team to continue to develop innovative and impactful programmes on behalf of WasteAid.”

Rebecca has recently completed a PhD programme focused on applying circular economy principals to e-waste and is currently working on final amendments to her thesis.