16th July 2015
When people are talking about innovation they often imagine the straining inventor, fanatically working towards that ‘light bulb moment.’ Many of my best ideas feel like they have appeared seemingly out of nowhere, that is, until I review the journey towards the revelation.
13th July 2015
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s recent report – Delivering the Circular Economy: A Toolkit for Policymakers is a welcome addition to the growing literature on the circular economy.
29th June 2015
On 25 June, I joined four other panellists in a debate on “Circular Economy: what should ‘ambition’ look like?” – a session in the CIWM, ESA and Resource Association’s two-day conference Resourcing the Future 2015 – Austerity or Ambition?
12th June 2015
Post by our guest blogger Erica Purvis, Open Source Circular Economy days, TechnicalNature If the circular economy were a recipe how would you follow it, what ingredients would it contain, and how would you mix it, cook it and what would it taste like? Well here’s one I prepared earlier …
13th May 2015
The current pressure on recycling businesses exposed to volatility across various secondary raw material markets brings into sharp focus the disjointed strategic approach within in our industry.
22nd April 2015
The upcoming elections and political promises are undoubtedly the main issue for UK waste-watchers. The Resource Association’s ‘Manifesto for resources 2015‘, issued at the end of March posed some interesting and challenging suggestions for the consideration of all political parties running up to the May General Election. Having recently completed some work for the EU on systematic eco-design innovation, the
16th April 2015
Waste-watchers scouring the main parties’ 2015 election manifestos for evidence of a “Damascene conversion” to the circular economy and resource efficiency will find lean pickings, and probably view what little there is with a degree of cynicism. The Labour party manifesto makes no mention of our sector, instead concentrating its environmental pledges on carbon reduction and energy management in the
28th January 2015
The news that Edinburgh is to roll out two pilot schemes addressing recycling in flats will be welcomed by waste-watchers concerned over the UK’s stalling recycling rate. High-rise and multi-occupancy housing pose by far the greatest challenge to the design and logistics of collection systems for recyclates. With some 80 per cent of the UK’s population living in urban settings,
9th January 2015
The latest edition of WRAP’s recycling, re-use and repair tracking survey (December 2014) identifies recycling attitudes and behaviours that support many of the findings of two SITA UK-sponsored reports: The Ur[bin] Issue (improving urban recycling performance) and Lifting the Lid (student attitudes and behaviours towards recycling). In these reports, we highlighted clear messaging, harmonised collection systems and effective community engagement as
17th December 2014
With all the debate going on around the EU position on the circular economy at present, emotion can sometimes cloud our view, so it can be useful to stand back and consider the underlying reasons behind the various opposing opinions. While many in our sector are more than a little disappointed by the European Commission’s view, I can at least
