Lord Henley, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, was the special guest on a tour of sites demonstrating the ‘zero waste’ approach to construction waste in Brighton & Hove on Thursday, 31 March.
The tour was set up by the European Zero Waste Partnership, which oversees the programmes of work carried out by Pathway To Zero Waste (PTZW) and its sister project, European Pathway to Zero Waste (EPOW).
Sites visited on the tour were:
· Southern Water’s Brighton to Peacehaven sewer and sewage treatment works construction project - contractor 4D is on target to reuse or recycle 400,000 tonnes of excavated material, diverting 100% from landfill
· The Brighton and Hove Wood Recycling Project - a social enterprise providing work and volunteer training opportunities for 10-15 people each week, reclaiming unwanted wood from construction and refurbishment projects to reuse or to convert into a range of innovative products for sale
Westdene Primary School – currently under construction, Brighton & Hove City Council has helped contractor Westridge Homes develop a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP), reducing waste and waste disposal costs, as part of a pilot SWMP enforcement project.
Lord Henley said: “The achievements I’ve seen in Brighton and Hove are a vivid illustration of how much can be achieved with a commitment to resource efficiency. The Pathway To Zero Waste programme has really driven change in the South East for the construction industry and the European Pathway will continue this for commercial and industrial waste.”
“The organisations involved have shown how zero waste is both good for the environment and good for the bottom line.”
Accompanying Lord Henley during the tour was European Zero Waste Partnership chairman and Environment Agency board member James Brathwaite CBE, who added: “What we’ve seen today shows how a pragmatic approach to regulation coupled with good support for business can deliver benefits for both parties.”
“The Environment Agency is keen to support the environment and businesses through a robust but flexible approach that takes into account the risks, costs and benefits of what we can do.”
“I’m very pleased to see how a good dialogue can help get good results.”
PTZW is a partnership between a number of organisations including the Environment Agency, WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) and the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA). Operating across the South East it runs until September 2011 and has so far helped organisations divert more than 500,000 tonnes of construction waste from landfill since it was launched in March 2009.
EPOW - an EU demonstration project and a partnership between the Environment Agency and WRAP – has broadened the focus to tackle additional commercial and industrial waste streams and will demonstrate the results of its pilots to aid development in other EU regions.
To develop markets for sustainable materials and support supply chains, EPOW is developing new end of waste protocols and encouraging the use of quality recycled material as well as piloting innovative approaches to waste crime and establishing the preconditions for commodity market development.
EPOW is also committed to supporting business through advising on procurement of sustainable materials, creating educational tools and services as well as the provision of expert advice.
For more information about EPOW and its projects visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk/epow
For more information on PTZW visit www.ptzw.co.uk