Revitalise Your Waste and Recycling Strategy at RWM

Advice on collection schemes, food waste recycling and public consultations are just some of the many issues to be tackled in the free seminars at this year’s Recycling and Waste Management Exhibition (RWM 10) which returns to the NEC, Birmingham from 14 to 16 September 2010.

Bigger than ever, the three-day show which includes indoor and outdoor exhibition areas will feature over 500 exhibiting companies and organisations demonstrating the latest technologies and recycling solutions. With free entry for visitors, RWM also provides access to over 40 seminar sessions offering invaluable legislative and financial advice together with first-hand case studies of successful projects undertaken by local authorities including Islington Council, Shropshire County Council and Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council.
On the subject of last year’s show, Sarah Watson, sustainability consultant at Coventry City Council said: “The Recycling and Waste Management exhibition is extremely important to us for networking and to hear about all the latest industry news. It’s also great to see practical solutions from companies which help resource efficiency and waste management. It certainly provided me with plenty of ideas to take away!”
During the three day show, RWM’s Local Authority Seminar Theatre, sponsored by SCA Recycling and Bywaters, will provide 12 free sessions for council visitors with themed days covering recycling targets, food waste and communications.
Day One (14 September) highlights include a presentation from James Cleverly, chairman of the London Waste & Recycling Board (LWARB) about the London Mayor’s draft waste strategy to stop landfilling London’s waste in 15 years. Besides examining waste-to-energy solutions, it will outline how LWARB is addressing specific recycling challenges posed by flats and multi occupancy dwellings, a subject re-visited later in the afternoon by Peter Selkirk, chief executive of Taylor. Another key session presented by Linda Chrichton, ROTATE manager for WRAP looks at food waste and recycling collection systems, offering the latest data on what works and what doesn’t.
Food waste is also explored on Day Two (15 September),opening with a case study from Islington Council which recently launched food waste collection schemes for estates, schools and prisons. Jean Hughes, recycling and minimisation project officer from the Council’s Environment and Regeneration Department will outline the scheme’s roll-out to an ethnically and socio-economically diverse community, explaining how they overcame problems and budgetary challenges. In the afternoon materials quality and MRFs will be covered with SCA Recycling explaining how local authorities can help by improving communications with the public and where MRF facilities and processes can be changed to improve outputs.
On the final day (16 September) the critical role that effective communications play in ensuring the success of recycling initiatives will be examined. Joy Blizzard, waste initiatives officer for Shropshire County Council will share her council’s experience of the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, outlining the local PR strategy and assessing its impact. The public consultation side of communications will be explored in a subsequent session which addresses the challenges posed during the planning process for new treatment initiatives. PR professionals Michael Bennett of Pelican Public Relation and Jane Rayner of Lulu Consulting will also offer advice on different communication channels, identifying interest groups, making consultations meaningful, dealing with objections and protestors, understanding the motivations of the local media and keeping control of messages.
Conveying recycling messages in an ethnically diverse area is the topic for the show’s closing seminar presented by Emma Marsh, local communications manager for WRAP, who will present a case study from Oldham Metropolitan Council.
RWM’s exhibition also provides a convenient opportunity to find new suppliers and source the latest products and services. Whether you are looking for hire vehicles, recycling banks and bins or even a new waste management contractor, the indoor and outdoor exhibition areas offer opportunities to build a wealth of new contacts.
Exhibitor highlights for local authority visitors:
• BiogenGreenfinch (Stand 1945) designs, builds, owns and operates AD plants to help local authorities meet their LATS and recycling targets by diverting organic waste away from landfill and exploiting new greener technologies for the management of waste and the generation of renewable energy.
• Recycling baler and waste management services provider Mil-tek (Stand 470) will be offering a “free, no strings attached” two-week baler trial. Baling cardboard and plastics for onward recycling can help to cut waste management costs and even generate additional revenues through onward sales of recyclable materials.
• With a design, build, finance and operate capability, New Earth Solutions (Stand 760) is able to provide effective systems for both source segregated organic and residual waste streams; partnering local authorities in achieving high rates of recycling and complying with their landfill allowance allocation.
• Smurfit Kappa Recycling (Stand 686) will be explaining how its mixed paper grade service can help to drive up recycling rates. The company recycles all types of cardboard and paper (including packaging and directories) from council kerbside collections and bring banks to reprocess at its paper mills.
Register now at www.rwmexhibition.com/lge for free fast-track entry and to receive regular show news updates