Resources and Waste Management Exhibition recycles 83% of waste

Transcription

1 i2i Events and the CIWM join forces to achieve 83% recycling Resources and Waste Management Exhibition recycles 83% of waste High recycling rates and plenty of supplier engagement to minimise waste on site were two of the key achievements for this year s RWM Exhibition: Europe s premier event dedicated to resource and waste management solutions. Using a venue with such a sophisticated in-house treatment centre helped the exhibition to reach such high recycling rates; but the supplier engagement and briefings, and wider uptake of the toolkit were crucial for all the methods in the background to work together. Sue Warwick, i2i Events i2i Events and the CIWM join forces to achieve 83% recycling

2 Understanding Waste The annual exhibition for Resources and Waste Management Solutions is delivered by the i2i Events Group in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM). The event, held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, attracted more than 13,500 visitors and 700 exhibitors over two days in September. Shadow Minister for Water and Waste Gavin Shuker MP and Lord Deben took to the podium among the 150 speakers at the event. For i2i events, a key challenge of the RWM exhibition was to identify the waste arisings specific to their event, and how this was broken down into material streams. This is a common problem for large event venues running simultaneous and back-toback events. Although very accurate in recording monthly waste totals, the nature of the business makes it difficult to provide an accurate breakdown of waste and recycling for each individual event. So in 2012, i2i Events used the WRAP Resource Management Planning Tool ( to help it identify what waste it was creating. The team were also keen to engage with stakeholders and suppliers about waste minimisation. The i2i events team s objectives were to: Gather data on waste generated at the event to create a benchmark against which they can set targets in future; Separate and recycle as much as possible, both within the venue and at the onsite waste transfer station; and Engage with event partners, particularly the NEC and build suppliers, to identify ways to reduce waste in future. Using the RMP Tool The RMP tool ( is a free online tool for event organisers, venues and suppliers to help reduce waste created from an event at every stage of the supply chain. By understanding this information, and having it all in one place, event managers can: forecast waste types and volumes, measure reductions in waste to landfill, and implement actions to reduce overall waste and increase recycling and re-use. 2

3 i2i events used the tool to support a number of areas of the event management: To deliver a briefing to suppliers on RWM s commitment to reducing and recycling waste, and how supplier input was crucial to support the use of the tool; To work with the NEC to identify a way to estimate the recycling rate for the event, based on the volume of waste generated, and the overall September recycling rate; and To support suppliers to gather data using a supplementary questionnaire. Waste set-up The exhibition s home, the NEC, announced it had achieved its Zero Waste to Landfill target two years early, only days before the show. This can largely be attributed to the on-site pre-treatment centre which segregates large items such as cardboard, wood, WEEE and metal from collections around the venue. The NEC s in-house Take the Waste Out campaign has seen the facilities management team work closely with the catering department to segregate catering waste at source: cardboard, glass, food, dry mixed recycling and general waste. Although the venue achieved zero waste to landfill, the RWM exhibition has not quite reached the same target as some of its suppliers took waste off site for disposal. This highlights the importance of engaging suppliers so they can help you achieve your goals. However, with an 83% recycle rate achieved, the RWM exhibition has achieved significant success this year and has been able to identify key targets for improvements next year. 3

4 By using the tool, i2i events: Gathered data on waste generated at the event, including both the waste collected by the NEC, and the waste taken off site by key suppliers; Obtained a good estimate that 83% of the waste was recycled or recovered from the event; Created a benchmark against which RWM can set targets in future; and Engaged key suppliers and the venue in discussions on how they could reduce the event waste and increase recycling for future events. Recommendations for others Changing the way you work can often be difficult to implement; i2i found the following critical to its success: Work closely with key suppliers and venues together to discuss issues around waste and share challenges and good practice this worked very well for this event and led to more being possible than had been expected. Provide clear guidance on what information is expected and set clear deadlines for completing it. Show strong commitment from the top so that everyone understands the importance of the issue to the event. Analyse information post-event and hold a de-brief with the venue and suppliers to identify challenges and opportunities to improve. 4

5 Next Steps Using the RMP tool identified a number of challenges to improving waste management before, during and after the event. The i2i team utilised the learning from this year to put improvements in place for next year; the first step being to analyse the information gathered from the tool and the event debrief. This identified the following key challenges: Time was a significant barrier as engagement with the tool and the project happened quite late. For next year s show the team would like to start using the tool at the same time they begin event preparations. The Unknown. The i2i team did not know which waste management practices were currently undertaken by suppliers, which were feasible to introduce, and which were aspirational. To combat this, the team plans to begin their supplier engagement at the same time as they themselves begin to use the tool. They also want suppliers to learn from each other and for i2i to be able to learn from suppliers who have used the tool on different events. An incomplete overview of the waste data from the event caused some issues in the evaluation due to incomplete data, and different measurements being used by suppliers. This can be improved by agreeing common measurements with suppliers at an early stage, and ensuring suppliers know the importance of completing the tool accurately. WRAP has also improved the tool to allow for differences in recording weights and volumes. Find out how the RMP tool could help your organisation improve waste management A good waste management plan can save your organisation costs and cut your carbon emissions and by using the RMP tool you can access the knowledge you need to make your plan. For further information visit: 5

6 Published by: Environment Agency, Kings Meadow House, Reading RD1 8DQ While we have tried to make sure this document is accurate, we cannot accept responsibility or be held legally responsible for any loss or damage arising out of or in connection with this information being inaccurate, incomplete or misleading. This material is copyrighted. You can copy it free of charge as long as the material is accurate and not used in a misleading context. You must identify the source of the material and acknowledge our copyright. You must not use material to endorse or suggest we have endorsed a commercial product or service. For more details please see our terms and conditions on our website at Task Ref: Action 7.2 Project Ref: MPP With the contribution of the LIFE financial instrument of the European Community