Bunbury - Grants and funded business development support worth nearly £2 million (Euro 2,4 million) will enable businesses in the West Midlands to divert an additional 2 million tonnes of commercial and industrial (C&I) waste from landfill by 2014. Providing a significant boost to the low carbon economy in the West Midlands, the support will lead to at least 39 jobs being created or safeguarded and will save over 500,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

The grants to 16 different waste and recycling businesses have been awarded during the first phase of the WRAP AWM programme. A further 21 businesses have received free business development support, tailored to help them improve their operations and increase their capacity.

Delivered by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme), the £5.4 million programme is funded by Advantage West Midlands (AWM). It has been designed to tackle the projected waste infrastructure capacity gap in the West Midlands.

Both the forecasted landfill diversion and the CO2 savings are in excess of the original targets set at the beginning of the programme - which aimed to divert 320,000 tonnes of C&I waste from landfill and save 200,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

With the first series of grants now allocated, the programme is turning its focus to the next stage of support, designed to increase even further the amount of C&I waste being recovered from businesses in the region. To help guide plans for the next phase and identify the opportunities and barriers affecting capacity growth in the region, over 100 waste and recycling organisations have been interviewed and their feedback collated. The research has shown that significant opportunities still exist for recovering more C&I waste - with mixed plastics, low-grade wood, paper and card, food waste and small business waste collection services offering some of the best opportunities to further increase recycling rates.

Wolverhampton-based plastics reprocessor, Recycled UK Ltd, received capital support to help fund the purchase of vital new plant and equipment. Director Paul Green said: “Without the assistance from the WRAP/AWM Programme we wouldn’t have been able to grow and develop the business as we would have liked to. We certainly wouldn’t have been able to attack the new markets that we’re focusing on now.”

More information under wrap.org.uk.

Quelle: WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme)

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