According to WRAP, adopting circular economy practices provides a pathway to “considerable economic benefits”, and the organisation has been setting out its 2020 vision for the UK.
AS PCL Direct reveals, this vision includes a decrease of 30 million tonnes (MT) of “material inputs into the economy” and 20 percent less waste being produced (amounting to 50 million tonnes). WRAP also envisions 20 million more tonnes of material being recycled back into the economy.
The organisation offered some vital statistics for the period, including the suggestion gleaned from economic data that GDP in the UK will grow by 15-20 percent between 2010 and 2020, while the Office for National Statistics predicts that the UK population will rise by 8 percent.
WRAP also offers four key ways to save selected materials.
These consist of “lean production” – making goods with a lower material requirement – “reducing waste”, “reducing the number of working products thrown away” and “increasing the proportion of some products which are leased”.
WRAP explains:
“The increase in waste recycled (20Mt) is less than for the 2000 to 2010 decade (70Mt). We suggest that the easy wins in recycling have been achieved, especially with the landfill tax escalation during the decade and greater business awareness of the economic benefits of diverting waste from landfill.”
The organisation continues, “20 percent less waste produced is about 50Mt less waste. This will require ambitious waste prevention plans from all nations to set the framework for business and public sector to act.”
