Materials Strategy Proposition Document · Executive Summary . This report is a Proposition...

Towards a Resourceful Belfast: Materials Strategy Proposition

Document

Researched and written by

Ray Georgeson MBE and Dr Jane Beasley with support from Resource Futures

Final Report – February 2016

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Appendix 1

Belfast City Council –Towards a Resourceful Belfast, February 2016

Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................. 4

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 5

1.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 5

SECTION 2: INITIAL FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS ............................................................................7

2.1. Capturing the thinking of key stakeholders .....................................................................7

2.2 Understanding Current Material Flows in Belfast ......................................................... 12

2.3 Policy Context – Drivers, Opportunities and Limitations ............................................. 20 2.3.1 The Belfast context ........................................................................................................................................ 21 2.3.2 The Northern Ireland context ....................................................................................................................... 26 2.3.3 The European and UK context ..................................................................................................................... 27

2.4. Case Studies: Comparable Cities and Strategies ........................................................... 30

SECTION 3: MOVING FORWARD ................................................................................................ 48

3.1 Setting context - Summary of Findings ......................................................................... 48

3.2 Partners and Stakeholders ............................................................................................. 49

3.3. Aligning with Regional Strategies and Potential Governance .................................... 50

3.4. Potential Economic, Environmental and Social Impacts ............................................... 52 3.4.1 Environmental Impacts and Benefits ........................................................................................................... 53 3.4.2 Employment Impacts and Benefits .............................................................................................................. 54 3.4.3 Financial impacts and benefits ..................................................................................................................... 56 3.4.4 Social impacts and benefits – the role of social value ................................................................................ 57 3.4.5 Summary of Potential Benefits of the proposed strategy .......................................................................... 58

3.5. Funding and Next Steps towards a Strategy ................................................................. 59

SECTION 4: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... 63

SECTION 5: DECLARATION OF INTERESTS ................................................................................ 63

APPENDIX 1: THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY DEFINED..................................................................... 64


APPENDIX 2: METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................... 66

APPENDIX 3: GLOSSARY OF TERMS ........................................................................................... 70

APPENDIX 4: ZERO WASTE SCOTLAND PROGRAMME SUMMARY .......................................... 72

APPENDIX 5:CIRCULAR ECONOMY INITIATIVES SUPPORTED OR IMPLEMENTED BY BELFAST CITY COUNCIL ……………………………………………………………………………...……74

executive Summary

Copyright and reproduction: This report is the Copyright of Ray Georgeson Resources Ltd (RGR); Beasley Associates Ltd and Resource Futures Ltd and has been produced under a contract between RGR and Belfast City Council. This project has received European Regional Development Funding through INTERREG IVB “Investing in opportunities”, as part of the ReNEW Project (INTERREG IVB NWE Programme) (ref. 317J-RENEW). Reproduction of the whole or parts of this report is permitted with acknowledgement to the authors Dr Jane Beasley, Ray Georgeson and to Belfast City Council and ReNEW. RGR, Beasley Associates and Resource Futures accept no liability whatsoever to any third party for any loss or damage arising from any interpretation or use of the information contained in this report, or reliance on any views expressed therein. Contact: Ray Georgeson Resources Ltd, 2 Garnett Villas, North Avenue, Otley, West Yorkshire, LS21 1AJ E-mail: [email protected] www.raygeorgesonresources.co.uk www.beasleyassociates.com

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.raygeorgesonresources.co.uk/

http://www.beasleyassociates.com/


Executive Summary

This report is a Proposition Document to support Belfast City Council in developing a new materials strategy that has the potential to significantly change the way that Belfast views and uses materials, particularly those formerly regarded as waste, so that they act as a lever for local job creation, through greater levels of reuse, repair, remanufacturing and recycling. This is the core of what is increasingly known as the ‘circular economy’, and Belfast is well placed to aspire to and deliver on its development locally and with impact across Northern Ireland. In discussing the prospect of a new materials strategy in various meetings and workshops with Members and Officers, it was clear to us that there is enthusiasm for this proposal and a strong signal of interest, especially in the potential for local employment and regeneration through materials use, was shown by Members of the Council. Colleagues across the authority were able to see the potential links between, for example, Economic Development, the Belfast Agenda, the Employability and Skills Framework, the Regeneration Strategy and ReNEW and the Waste Management Service as it develops a new materials based approach. Linked to the emerging agenda from the European Commission on proposed higher recycling targets and work on the circular economy, Belfast’s proposed emphasis on materials strategy and circular economy could be in the vanguard of thinking and actions in UK local government. The Proposition Document provides a series of building blocks for the development of the new materials strategy. It assembles the thinking of key Departments and interested Members of the Council, as well as the policy context (local, UK and EU), data availability and needs, links to Council strategies, analysis of potential economic, social and environmental benefits and an assessment of funding opportunities and identified next steps for strategy development. What it does not do is try to write the strategy, it is purely a source document. It incorporates a series of case studies from the UK, EU and beyond. While case studies can provide inspiration and spark ideas, they must always be treated with caution as policy and fiscal frameworks are not always the same. We have sought to identify key learning from each case study that may be applicable to the Belfast situation. In identifying a series of next steps for Belfast City Council, we have placed emphasis on the need to establish a new internal structure (working group) to take forward the strategy development across functions in the Council and quickly determine who should lead the work. We have suggested Resourceful Belfast as a working title for the strategy as it captures the spirit of the city as well as the potential objectives of the strategy as it works for social, economic and environmental objectives that are no longer just about emptying the bins – important though that remains.


Section 1: Introduction

1.1 Introduction Belfast City Council (BCC) intends to develop a ‘materials strategy’ for Belfast, which will support and stimulate circular solutions in the local economy to accommodate and ultimately reduce the City’s waste and maximise its value as a resource. This proposition document has been commissioned to help the Council better understand and decide:

how the materials strategy will relate to the other internal initiatives in place;

how the materials strategy will align with external policies and opportunities;

what the strategy’s specific objectives could or should be; and,

how to progress the initiative. Belfast City Council is one of the few authorities even considering supporting and implementing circular solutions in the local economy; there is presently much talk but little action in this area at local government level. Belfast is already making good progress in terms of the way the authority currently manages the waste materials it is responsible for. The Council’s Zero Waste Action Plan drove the city’s recycling rate up from 32% in 2011/12 to 44% in 2014/15, and the Waste Management Service has promoted and engaged in a number of small scale innovative reuse/prevention activities (see Appendix 5). One of the key purposes of the materials strategy is to promote and capitalise on the potential of Belfast’s ‘waste’ materials as a resource. But there are a range of other Council-wide forward-looking strategies and plans which complement and support a more ‘circular’ means of managing materials and resources in Belfast. Although there are a number of formal definitions in place for the term circular economy1, what it means for Belfast in a practical sense is the generation, and maximisation, of value from materials and resources, while minimising wastage. Prolonging the useful life of products and materials is a key aspect of a ‘circular’ approach, but value can mean many things, including:

Job creation and training/upskilling opportunities;

Increasing financial value of materials flowing in the economy;

Social benefits; and,

Strategic cohesion from recognising the benefits across a range of policy areas including employment, regeneration and resource management.

Most local authorities regard their waste management responsibilities as an important but expensive duty with limited or no economic benefit. In building this Proposition Document we have sought to capture the most useful and relevant research and consider how to move beyond this perception. Instead, we see an opportunity to capture materials and resources primarily for the city’s economic benefit, and to facilitate training and employment in the context of building a local circular economy.

1 Refer to appendix 1 for formal definition


In that regard, the term ‘materials strategy’ is probably too narrow to represent the actual range of opportunities and interests that the eventual strategy will serve. And, in order for the initiative to be successful, a cross-cutting approach will be required as the necessary skills are unlikely to rest within any one Council Service. As this document is intended for a wide audience, we have aimed to minimise the technical terminology used, but a glossary of terms can be found in Appendix 2. The research was conducted by RGR Ray Georgeson Resources Ltd, in partnership with Beasley Associates Ltd and supported by Resource Futures Ltd – three independent consultancies with lengthy experience of materials management and the emerging circular economy. This project has received European Regional Development Funding through INTERREG IVB “Investing in opportunities”, as part of the ReNEW Project (INTERREG IVB NWE Programme) (ref. 317J-RENEW).


Section 2: Initial findings and analysis

2.1. Capturing the thinking of key stakeholders Discussions with stakeholders were free flowing and allowed us to explore the beliefs and opinions of those present; specifically, how a potential materials focused strategy would fit in with and complement their own strategic priorities. A number of common themes/issues emerged from the interviews and the Discussion Workshop, and these are presented below2.

2.1.1 Job creation, training and skills development Elected members of Council made it very clear that their focus and priority was to create local jobs and related opportunities, and they wanted to understand and confirm that the strategy would deliver this objective. Focusing on the role of developing job opportunities and opening up the potential for training and skills development was seen as paramount in securing buy-in for the future strategy. This was a strong view put forward by the majority of stakeholders. The research3 shows that a circular economy approach will deliver these kinds of benefits, not only by promoting new technologies but also by sparking innovative thinking in design and manufacturing, as well as creating new services based on sharing resources and products. Section 3 of this document discusses the findings of some recent research4 which indicates the potential to generate several thousand jobs in NI specifically.

2.1.2 Complementing other Council strategies and initiatives The strategy will, by its nature, promote and encourage the development of green technologies in Belfast as well as spawning new economic models and approaches in a range of business and industrial sectors. Therefore, there are clear opportunities to build on and integrate the work being done to support the development of the greentech sector, as part of the Council’s Integrated Economic Framework; Belfast could become a test bed for technologies or innovation, and a leader in this area. It is clear that novel ways to promote Belfast and encourage investment in the city could be identified through this approach. Similarly, the strategy has the potential to generate content for the Environmental Resource Park planned for the North Foreshore site.

2 It is worth noting at this stage that many of these points are discussed in more detail later in the report. 3 Several research reports from Ellen Macarthur Foundation map out the potential, most recently November 2015 report: Towards a Circular Economy – Business Rationale for an Accelerated Transition www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org 4 Green Alliance and WRAP (2015) report on employment potential in the circular economy for Northern Ireland – this was an extension of 2014 work done on a GB basis

http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/


It is considered that targeting the whole business community to adopt a more circular economy approach will take time and will also require targeted support and different messages for different audiences. However, there are lots of economic drivers in place already, supporting businesses to grow and there is a view that social enterprises are starting to evolve into new areas. More needs to be done to build on existing initiatives and the strategy should be explicit about this. Work has already started on Smart Cities initiatives and again it is important that this is tied into the circular economy agenda and that complementary initiatives are included within the strategy. The strategy also has the potential to influence urban regeneration. This may be in the form of considering how urban design and planning can integrate infrastructure to boost the capture of materials for reprocessing, or it may be in encouraging the use of reprocessed materials in construction. There is also the possibility of designating particular areas of the city for the location of businesses or services which promote the circular economy, either through physical processing, or by way of training and upskilling (this is also discussed in Case Study 5, later in this document).

2.1.3 Transforming the city’s approach and performance on waste management The Waste Management Service is at the forefront of introducing circular economy principles and thinking to the Council, and their involvement in the European ReNEW project has been instrumental in initiating the ‘materials strategy’. The Service hopes that the strategy will help to abate the Councils current waste bill of £19M pa by generating approaches which either reduce the amounts of waste produced or spawn more cost-efficient means of dealing with it. In its simplest terms, the Service sees an opportunity to divert the 152,000 tonnes of ‘waste’ materials, which it is responsible for collecting each year, away from traditional waste processing outlets and to use them as a feedstock for local industries instead. Therefore, those materials (expected to come mainly from the recycling and reuse streams) become valuable resources rather than costly waste. Such an approach will only be successful if the volume and quality of the materials available from the Council’s various collection schemes is maximised. However, it is also unlikely that local uses/ markets will be found for all of the materials, so networks will need to be established with other like-minded cities in the UK and perhaps beyond. Similarly, the viability of the initiative is likely to depend on the volume of materials available, so it is important to consider how to involve materials (waste and otherwise) which are not currently within the council’s control. Belfast’s waste management performance (44% recycling in 2014/15) is good in comparison to other similar and benchmark cities, but the Service’s own research shows that much recyclable and reusable (potential feedstock) resources are still being lost to landfill. The


Council provides a comprehensive range of recycling and reuse services, but one of the key issues is ensuring that the resident population fully and properly utilise them. It is clear that particularly in those areas where there are high levels of social deprivation, unemployment and low skills base, participation in recycling is sporadic and the service is generally underutilised. From the perspective of some of the Councillors interviewed, the high levels of social deprivation experienced in some wards and high unemployment and low skills, means that separating waste is a low or non-existent priority. Therefore, moving forward, the message to the public needs to be clear and relevant. If calls to recycle and reuse can be linked to the introduction of employment opportunities, for example reuse/repair shops and other material focused networks as a route to employment or skills development, then they may be more likely to be heeded. If residents realise that separately collecting ‘x’ will generate ‘y’ additional income or jobs, then they may be more likely to support campaigns. The importance of Councillors in supporting this approach was also very clear. If residents are unhappy or are unclear about what is expected of them in terms of waste and recycling, then their direct point of contact tends to be their local Councillor. Therefore, it is crucial that there is buy-in from Councillors and a clear understanding of the direction of travel. The common good, whether jobs, quality of life, local economy, or meeting targets needs to be paramount and totally understood/bought into by the politicians. The benefits of the strategy need to be strongly communicated and promoted from the outset in order to be endorsed both politically and by local communities. Also within the strategy development there needs to be clear understanding of what service changes may be required to maximise value from materials being managed. In terms of demonstrating the rationale for service changes, whatever decisions are made the reasons need to be clear within a circular economy context. Joined up thinking towards resource management needs to be demonstrated to stakeholders and not simply assumed. The long term view in relation to future waste contracts needs to be considered, within a circular economy context. Specifically, the potential for the Council taking more direct control of the material it collects and achieving flexibility in the range of distribution channels (as opposed to disposal routes). This consideration, along with the previously-mentioned need to maximise volume and quality, indicates that further work needs to be done to model collection and processing options as the strategy develops. And all of this has a bearing on the importance of any TEEP assessments carried out by or on behalf of the Council in relation to its collection services. It must be noted that existing infrastructure to manage and process recyclable or reusable materials and products locally is fairly limited in Northern Ireland. The sector is quite fractured and still relatively focused on short-term business prospects; it is challenged in terms of seeing the opportunities afforded by the circular economy. There is little or no crossover with other


industries and no incentive to do so. Limited access to the market place is a big issue. Therefore, there is an important role in creating opportunities in the market place, whether this is through supporting social enterprises, developing the reuse and repair sector within local communities, or providing other incentives or opportunities. Significant effort will need to be put into creating understanding of the potential of a materials approach and achieving industry cohesion.

2.1.4 Overcoming unhelpful organisational perceptions of ‘waste’ Ensuring that all stakeholders recognise the strategy to be more than a ‘waste strategy’ is considered to be a key challenge. Currently the waste service is perceived by some stakeholders as something very separate from the council’s economic regeneration and investment interests; it is regarded as a cost to the tax payer and a burdensome, although important, service that needs to be delivered. Considerable thought and effort might be required to achieve the situation where waste is regarded as a potential resource to be tapped into or exploited, and where the service is recognised to be contributing to the local economy. Therefore, the importance of bringing everyone together and influencing/changing how they perceive this is considered a significant issue that needs to be addressed. Engagement with a wide range of stakeholders as part of the process in developing this proposition document has been a useful first step; however, this needs to be further built upon as the strategy is taken forward. Ensuring that language and terminology is fit for purpose and is not technically orientated was identified as a way to engage a wider range of stakeholders in the strategy development process (and ultimately in its implementation). Avoiding terminology more readily associated with waste and instead focusing on the wider benefits of job creation, income generation, and maximising the value of materials that the council has responsibility for collecting and managing was seen as crucial. Waste has been identified as an on-going and increasing financial risk in terms of the Council’s financial plan moving forward. Any spend-to-save proposals would need a very clear and strong business case. If sources of income or long term cost avoidance are clearly demonstrated through a materials strategy, then this would be more acceptable.

2.1.5 Clearly communicating the purpose and benefits of the strategy This is the corollary to the previous point: high level and comprehensive engagement is essential to ensure the necessary understanding and buy-in to drive the strategy forward. Otherwise it runs the risk of being seen as just another waste related strategy that has little to do with other departments. Language and tone is fundamental as is terminology and definitions used. The naming of the strategy was considered to be an important factor. The term, ‘materials strategy’ was seen as hard to understand by some interviewees, and broadly accepted to not


fully reflect the range of opportunities and interests that the strategy will serve. Suggested alternatives included ‘Resourceful Belfast’, ‘Sunrise Industry Strategy’ and ‘Sustainable Economy Strategy’.

2.1.6 Positioning within the Council In terms of governance of the strategy, exactly where it should sit and where the responsibility should lie in terms of its delivery was subject to much consideration. It was widely accepted that this would be a comprehensive strategy that would require high level corporate and political buy-in in order to succeed. The Waste Management Service clearly sees the potential benefits of the strategy and have the will to drive it, but may not be best placed to do so. However, others who are better placed may not fully recognise the benefits of the strategy and, therefore, not have the necessary enthusiasm.

2.1.7 Availability and reliability of data In order for the strategy to be effective the baseline and changing materials flow needs to be tracked and understood as circular methods emerge and develop. Data needs to be robust and there needs to be evidence that things are/not working. Household waste data is already heavily monitored and audited to satisfy the regulator, but new approaches may be required to properly monitor and control the flow of all relevant waste and raw products and materials in a local circular economy. Broadening the scope of the strategy to encompass other waste streams (C&I, C&D) is likely to make the strategy of greater benefit by increasing the scale of activity which can be supported and providing greater investment opportunity. However, the associated data is neither reliable nor so easily available. Including virgin/ raw materials and products is a further step change and the ultimate aspiration. However, it is probably unrealistic to obtain or even capture data at the city level in the short to medium term. Suitable data will also be needed to track the economic benefits (jobs, training opportunities, etc.) and other outcomes that the strategy is expected to deliver. Reliable data is also critical to satisfy any call for evidence based decisions, particularly where changes are required and those changes have a cost attached. It would be difficult to justify investing public monies where there is no way of verifying the benefits. So closer working would be required with DoE and DETI, for example, to establish what is realistic in terms of improving the quality and availability of relevant data and exploring the case for doing so.


2.1.8 Procurement The Council owns 10% of land area of Belfast and is a significant regional player in procurement, spending an average of £65M per year on supplies, services and works. Therefore, the ability to promote innovative procurement in order to support the circular economy agenda was raised. Whole life costing was also stated as a normal consideration when procuring and the question over the implementation of the social clause policy (and the potential role this could play moving forward) was highlighted. The need and opportunity (under the new EU Procurement Directive) to maximise the impact of any procurement/investment in terms of social benefits was identified. It is worth noting that too great a focus on ‘low cost’ solutions are likely to rule out or stifle the kind of innovation that might be required to deliver the wider range of benefits (job creation, re-skilling, entrepreneurism) envisaged to be delivered through the materials strategy. The Council may have to explore more sophisticated ways of evaluating tenders and options in general.

2.1.9 Funding There is a good manufacturing base in Northern Ireland but no significant pull locally for recycled or reusable material. Therefore, the importance of pilot/exemplar/test projects, utilising the secondary (recycled or reusable) materials, is seen to play an important role in local market development. However, the question remains over who funds these projects, and where the potential funding will be available from? With a comprehensive strategy such as the one proposed, there is an acknowledgement of a need to work together to ensure all potential sources of funding are being fully exploited. European funds may prove to be the most likely prospect for project development. Live funding streams such as Horizon 2020 are still an option, but close monitoring of developments in the negotiation of the EU Circular Economy Package will also be needed, as new funding5 has been announced as part of the Package proposals. As with all EU funding, the key to success will be the creation of strong delivery partnerships with other key organisations across Europe. Even though agreement of the final Package will not complete until probably the end of 2016, with final conclusion and transposition only happening in 2017-18, time invested now in partnership development will be effective when applications for funds are open.

2.2 Understanding Current Material Flows in Belfast When considering the development of a materials-focused strategy, with the intention of maximising value from the materials, understanding current material flows in Belfast is essential. The ideal materials strategy would encompass all materials and products flowing through the city. This section deals primarily with waste materials as the Council is responsible for managing some of these and data is readily to hand. The Council will have to decide

5 European Commission (2015), News Release – Circular Economy Package http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-6203_en.htm announces new funds from Horizon 2020 of €650m and Structural Funds for waste management of up to €5.5bn

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-6203_en.htm



whether the scope of the strategy encompasses more than waste; alternatively, an initial strategy could concentrate on waste materials/ resources while working towards a second stage with a broader scope. As the major city authority in Northern Ireland, Belfast generates large quantities of waste, much of which is recyclable. The Council is solely responsible for collecting household waste (from residences and civic amenity sites/household waste recycling centres as well as street sweepings and litter collections), and it also collects a proportion of the city’s commercial and industrial (C&I) waste. C&I waste is material generated by offices, shops, factories and other commercial premises, and most of this is collected by private waste contractors. CDE (construction, demolition and excavation) waste is another major waste stream which is collected by private waste contractors. In all, the Council collects an estimated 10-15% of the city’s waste, so broadening the scope of the materials strategy to take in waste materials collected by other operators would afford greater opportunities and make the strategy more viable and impactful.

2.2.1 Household level Figure 1 shows the household waste arisings and recycling rate in Belfast since 2004/05. Belfast has clearly made significant progress in the last decade, with falling tonnages and a rising recycling rate. Waste arisings have fallen by around 20% from a high in 2005/06 to just over 122,000 tonnes in 2013/14. There was a minor increase in the last year, which is in line with UK-wide trends. For 2015/16 onwards, the tonnages will increase substantially as Belfast City Council is responsible for more households following the April 2015 local government reform. The recycling rate has more than quadrupled in the period, reaching 40.1% in 2013/14 and 44% in 2014/15. These notable improvements in the city’s recycling performance have inherently greatly increased the amount of materials that are being captured in Belfast for reprocessing.


Figure 1: Household waste arisings and recycling rate in Belfast, 2004/05 to 2013/14. Source: DOENI

2.2.2 Material Capture Belfast City Council operates a comprehensive kerbside recycling service which collects materials for reprocessing. Figure 2 shows the quantities of the major recyclable materials collected in 2013/14. Paper is the largest component with over 7,000 tonnes being collected for recycling in 2013/14. The amount of glass collected may increase in the future if a separate glass collection trial is rolled out further. Following the recent local government reform, Belfast has the potential to capture even more recyclable materials in future due to the additional households in the local authority – depending on the recycling performance of those new areas. Figure 2 also shows how much material is not being captured by the kerbside recycling scheme. The biggest component is paper, with over 7,000 tonnes being collected as residual waste. However, the overall arisings of paper are the highest and the kerbside capture rate of paper is higher than any of the five major materials collected for recycling, at 49%. Plastic has the lowest capture rate with only 19% being collected for recycling at kerbside. Although some of the recyclables are captured further down the supply chain at Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) from the residual waste, the quality of the material is likely to be poorer than that collected through the kerbside collection.

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Figure 2: Kerbside recycling and residual tonnages, 2013/14. Source: WasteDataFlow and Belfast City Council waste composition study

Kerbside dry recycling collections are an important method for the capture of recyclable materials in Belfast, but there are many other methods for collecting material, including organics collections and recycling centres. The council also collects approximately 30,000 tonnes of non-household waste, much of which is recycled. Belfast City Council data shows that 152,000 tonnes of household waste were anticipated to be managed by the council in 2015, of which 62,800 tonnes would be captured for reprocessing. Figure 3 shows that 9,663 tonnes of that recyclate was expected to be extracted from residual waste; the majority of this (around 7,000 tonnes) was expected to originate from household residual waste bins, and to be recovered using facilities such as the River Ridge Recycling Residual Materials Recycling Facility (‘dirty MRF’) at Portadown and the Wastebeater residual MRF in Belfast. These 7,000 tonnes represent around 11% of all of the council’s recycling and this is, therefore, an important mechanism for capturing recyclable materials and meeting targets/ avoiding financial penalties. However, it is an expensive process which yields lower quality materials. One of the key issues which is evident from this data is the volume of recyclable household waste which continues to be lost to landfill, despite the comprehensive range of services which the Council has in place to collect and capture recyclable and reusable materials. Maximising the volume and quality of the materials available is key to attracting the necessary investment and reprocessing capacity to make the strategy viable and successful. Therefore,

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an important element of the strategy must be to find ways to overcome the inertia and get greater buy-in from the public to ensure that they segregate materials for recycling and reuse in the first instance. This is clearly in line with the Council’s current interests in terms of optimising recycling and waste management performance in any case. Household waste is largely within the Council’s control but, even with optimised levels of recycling, the tonnages available are not likely to be able to attract major investment in local reprocessing capacity or support a significant shift towards circular practices and green technologies. Therefore, it is likely that a viable strategy will need to include other categories of waste (C&I, CDE) and/or raw materials. Figure 3: Types of material expected to be collected for reprocessing in Belfast in 2015. Source: Belfast City Council data

2.2.3 Food waste Food waste is a major waste stream in the household and C&I sectors. Over 18,000 tonnes of food waste remains in Belfast’s kerbside residual household waste6. In recent years Belfast has expanded its separate food waste collection, and in 2015 is expecting to collect 2,451

6 Calculated using results of Belfast City Council waste composition study and WasteDataFlow 2013-14 kerbside residual tonnage

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tonnes for recycling. Further food waste will be captured by the mixed food and garden waste collection which serves the outer parts of the city. Food waste will be an important element in the development of the materials strategy and the shaping of a circular economy. For Belfast and the UK more broadly, it remains the single largest element of the household resource stream where concerted effort to improve capture would make a significant difference to the achievement of recycling targets. The challenges of doing this are widely acknowledged and well documented by WRAP – perception barriers (the ‘yuk’ factor); provision of caddies and liners; managing frequency of collection alongside residual waste changes; sustained markets for the processed products (biogas, digestate) and the sharing of ‘whole system’ costs between councils, collectors and processors are all being addressed on a UK-scale. This is being done through a new Food Waste Recycling Action Plan currently in production by WRAP, involving stakeholders throughout the supply chain. This will report in Spring 2016. The average yield from the 54,200 households served by the separate food waste collection will be 45.2 kg/hh/yr in 2015, assuming the anticipated tonnage is collected. Figure 4 shows how this compares with other large urban local authorities in the UK. Belfast performs moderately well compared to other local authorities in terms of food waste recycling. However, some authorities achieve far higher food waste yields and if these were replicated in the Belfast scheme (assuming the scheme area remains the same), it could collect an additional 2,000 tonnes of food waste. Food waste arisings and capture in the C&I sector are harder to quantify. The 2009 Northern Ireland C&I survey estimated that around 146,000 tonnes of animal and vegetal wastes were generated, mostly from the food and drink sector. Approximately 2% of this was estimated to have been landfilled, with the majority being sent for recycling, composting or treatment.


Figure 4: Performance of separate food waste collection in Belfast and other large urban local authorities. Source: WasteDataFlow and WRAP scheme data

2.2.4 Other Materials Materials like textiles and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) are less prominent in the waste stream, but can have a higher value, especially if they are captured in a reusable condition. Figure 5 shows how much WEEE, textiles and furniture was collected for recycling and reuse by Belfast City Council in 2014/15. Almost 1600 tonnes of WEEE and almost 300 tonnes of textiles were collected for recycling. Around 50 tonnes of furniture and a very small amount of WEEE was collected for reuse. Textiles and furniture are known to be captured in greater quantities by other organisations (mainly charities) in the city.


Figure 5: Tonnages of WEEE, textiles and furniture collected for recycling and reuse 2014/15. Source: Belfast City Council data

2.2.5 Commercial and Industrial Waste The most recent survey7 of Commercial and Industrial (C&I) waste in Northern Ireland estimated that 294,000 tonnes of C&I waste was produced in Belfast in 2009. This equates to 22.8% of Northern Ireland’s total C&I waste. The survey did not produce estimates of recycling rates by local authority, but applying the overall Northern Ireland recycling rate of 43% to Belfast’s tonnage produces an estimate of 126,000 tonnes being recycled. However, it must be noted that this data is now six years out of date, and there is a further difficulty in that the WRAP report did not use primary data collected in Northern Ireland, but applied the waste profile of businesses in England to similar businesses in NI in order to arrive at an estimate.

7 WRAP (2009) Northern Ireland Commercial and Industrial Waste Estimates http://www.wrapni.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Northern_Ireland_CI_waste_estimates_2009_v4_1.4bb45bd7.11553%5B1%5D.pdf

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Figure 6: Waste generated and recycled from household and C&I source in Belfast

Figure 6 compares the amount of waste generated (and the proportion recycled) from household and C&I sources. It shows that the C&I sector far outweighs the household sector, so capturing those materials will make a Belfast materials strategy more viable. However, the lack of up-to-date and reliable data make it difficult to understand C&I waste in detail. It also makes monitoring progress in this sector very challenging. If the materials strategy intends to include C&I waste, the DoE will have to be engaged with a view to capturing and maintaining relevant and accurate data for the sector. This will be important for the development of a circular economy approach, as the clear mapping of material flows from the Commercial and Industrial sectors will be essential to the identification of opportunities to increase material circularity in those sectors.

2.3 Policy Context – Drivers, Opportunities and Limitations We have set out the highlights of the policy context that is relevant to the development of the materials strategy in three key layers:

the Belfast context

the Northern Ireland context

the European and UK context

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

350000

Household (2013/14) C&I (2009)

Ton

nag

e

Recycling Residual


Within each of these layers we have set out the key element of policy that should support the development of materials strategy and its integration into the broader social, employment and regeneration agenda of the Council.

2.3.1 The Belfast context

a. Recent economic background As a result of Local Government Reform, a new Council was formed in 2015 to serve the expanded city. 60 councillors were elected and Belfast City Council now serves an additional 53,000 residents, giving an overall population of 333,000. New powers, most notably in relation to planning, have been awarded to the Council, which will enable the authority to do more to directly shape the future for the city. Belfast has suffered from significant economic decline as a result of the loss of major industrial and manufacturing industries8. Unemployment rates have shown high levels of variation across Belfast reflecting the wide range of social and economic conditions experienced across the city; there are pockets of wealth and financial and social stability and equally there are areas of significant deprivation across Belfast where unemployment and low educational achievement remain barriers. Another characteristic of the labour market in Belfast that is worthy of note is that a higher than average proportion of employment is in the public sector. This factor is particularly pertinent as there are plans to cut 20,000 NI public-sector jobs over four years as part of financial measures to facilitate a cut in the corporate tax rate to make NI more attractive to FDI, as well as making the devolved administration more financially sustainable. However, this could clearly have a significant impact on unemployment rates across the city in the short to medium term, as well as increasing the level of emigration among new graduates. On the other hand, certain sectors appear to be developing well locally (aerospace and food, for example), and a materials strategy might catalyse related circular economy opportunities in terms of R&D and Knowledge Transfer Networks and partnerships, thus retaining and developing graduate skills in Northern Ireland. Over the last decade steps have been taken through significant investments to enhance the economic and social potential of the city and surrounding area for its inhabitants. A £7bn regeneration project focused on wasteland in Belfast Harbour has resulted in the rebranded Titanic Quarter - home to a Titanic themed visitor centre, a college campus and a film studio. In addition, the previous harbour waste land also houses the Northern Ireland Science Park, the base for more than 100 scientific and technical companies. According to a recent report9

8 Belfast City Report, Jorge Ploger, London School of Economics Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (An ESRC Research Centre). 9 http://www.nispconnect.org/kei/

http://www.nispconnect.org/kei/


Northern Ireland's knowledge economy is growing nearly three times faster than the rest of the UK. A few years ago, Belfast had no recognisable start-up scene, but this is currently changing, not only with the growth of a credible tech community but also with the greentech sector identified as a priority growth area. In terms of knowledge institutes, Belfast Metropolitan College is the largest college of further and higher education in Northern Ireland and one of the biggest providers in the UK. Belfast is also home to Queens University and a campus of Ulster University. In terms of the city, the Council has developed a number of cultural quarters: The Cathedral Quarter, which takes its name from St Anne's Cathedral and hosts a yearly visual and performing arts festival; the Gaeltacht Quarter, the centre for Irish language and culture in the west of the city; and the Queens Quarter in the south of city, which has a large student population and hosts an annual Belfast Festival10 . BCC Integrated Economic Framework The green technology sector has been identified as a key growth area within this framework. This complements and supports the focus of the North Foreshore project and also supports the direction of travel of the proposed materials focused strategy in terms of the role of the Greentech sector. BCC Employability and Skills Framework for Belfast: Final Strategy and Action Plan 2015 Dealing with employability in Belfast, this covers the next ten years and is focused on addressing the issue of a significant over-supply of lower skilled residents, with more demand in the future for higher skilled residents. It is also recognised that there is currently a generally low level of entrepreneurship in Belfast and recommends targets which include moving an estimated 14,200 Belfast residents into paid work over the next ten years. The materials focused strategy has the potential to generate job opportunities and training in the low to medium skilled employment range in the short term, and in higher skilled occupations in the medium to longer-term. Therefore, the synergy with the employability and skills strategy is very clear. Potential employment opportunities in aspects of the circular economy such as re-use, repair and remanufacturing could create low to medium skilled work, for example in delivery, stores and warehousing; customer service and retail; electrical repair and mechanical repair and engineering. Prospects for higher skilled employment include research opportunities, eco-design and the areas of advanced manufacturing and engineering technologies.

10 http://visit-belfast.com/home/page/our-quarters

http://visit-belfast.com/home/page/our-quarters


b. Resource management North Foreshore Project The site of the Council’s former waste landfill is home to an ambitious project to develop an ‘Environmental Resource Park’. Invest Northern Ireland, the European Regional Development Fund and Belfast City Council Investment Programme have provided funding for the project, specifically in relation to securing roads and service infrastructure. A number of plots within the site are already assigned to a range of waste and resource treatment operations11 and five plots (30 acres) are currently being marketed across Europe to providers of cleantech environmental technology/renewable energy for commercial development and R&D facilities. The site has some limitations in that, as it also accepted some hazardous waste, there are restrictions in terms of the type of facility that can be built there. However, the potential benefits of developing the site in this way are numerous, including job creation and training prospects. It presents the potential to become a hub for new economic opportunities arising from the materials strategy. Material flows and commitments The data presented in Section 2.2 shows how much material is being collected and recovered in Belfast, both from households and C&I source. The first destination for most collected household waste is one of several sorting facilities, such as Bryson’s Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) and several residual MRFs which salvage recyclables from black bin waste. Added to the fact that much of Belfast’s dry recycling is collected using a kerbside sort system, this means that Belfast’s household recyclables are separated locally and therefore these materials are potentially available for local reprocessors. However, mapping exercises carried out by Belfast City Council show that while some materials are sent to local facilities (such as Cherry Plastics in Lurgan and Glassdon in Antrim), much is sent to facilities elsewhere in the UK, Europe and the world. Table 1 shows the reprocessors in Northern Ireland which are accredited12 with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, which are listed on the National Packaging Waste Database (NWPD)13.

11 Including a plot designated for Arc 21 12 Accredited processors or exporters is a formal designation under Producer Responsibility legislation on packaging waste recycling. They are the businesses that can issue packaging recovery notes (PRNs) for every tonne of packaging waste recovered (or exported) which is the means by which in the UK producer responsibility for packaging recycling is discharged by obligated companies. 13 https://npwd.environment-agency.gov.uk/PublicRegister.aspx


Table 1: Accredited reprocessors in Northern Ireland14

Material/Process Facility

EfW Eglington (Timber Products) Ltd

Glass Other Glassdon Recycling

Glass Other Re-Gen Limited

Glass Re-melt Encirc Ltd

Plastic Cherry Plastics

Wood Eglington (Timber Products) Ltd

It shows there are relatively few accredited reprocessors available in Northern Ireland, and for some materials, including paper and metals, there are none. However, the same database shows there are in fact 18 accredited exporters, suggesting that much of the material collected in Belfast and Northern Ireland as a whole is exported. Where global and European strategic reprocessing infrastructure remains as a route for significant elements of the materials stream, then the location of Belfast as a port remains a positive asset. It allows for a strong focus on improving even further the ability to collect and supply materials for recycling and reuse and buys time for more local reuse, repair, remanufacturing and even reprocessing to develop; export to the UK and beyond remains a viable option while local markets emerge. Energy High energy costs are a factor that can sometimes be prohibitive in drawing in investment to Northern Ireland. As a region, Northern Ireland is 98% dependant on imported fossil fuels for primary energy needs, and it is particularly vulnerable to fuel shortages and fossil fuel price volatility. Historically Northern Ireland has paid higher utility prices than the rest of the UK and as a result fuel poverty levels at 45% are some of the highest in Europe. Energy costs have risen 100% in the last 4-5 years.15 Therefore any support for greentech ventures, including those generating energy from secondary materials, could have a wider positive impact beyond the generation of alternative energy; particularly in terms of attracting business and industry to the area. c. Regeneration background Belfast Agenda Community planning, one of the new powers that Belfast City Council has taken on as a result of the Local Government Reform, is focused on developing long term improvements in the social, economic and environmental well-being of the city. The Belfast Agenda, as the community plan will be known, shares many synergies/common goals/deliverables with the potential materials strategy in terms of job creation, training, economic growth,

14 Huhtamaki were a registered reprocessor in 2013 and although they are no currently accredited they are reprocessing paper based materials in Northern Ireland. 15 Review of the Belfast City Masterplan 2013


environmental protection and sustainability, and this can clearly be seen in Table 2 (in Section 3.2). The materials strategy, with its focus on the circular economy, can help deliver the aims of the Belfast Agenda. It will attract investment into the city and support its regeneration through growing the repair/reuse sector, as well as supporting community development through socially orientated resource management initiatives. This will help in the improvement of skills, provide training opportunities and potentially help shape the city as a leading exemplar of efficient and sustainable resource management. BCC Corporate Plan 2015-2016: Growing and Enabling City Leadership The Council’s own Corporate Plan already includes the following commitments that are complementary to the likely objectives of the materials strategy:

- Commitment to ensure the provision of the best possible, value for money services for

local people, communities and businesses

- Work with those who want to improve the competitiveness of the city and to improve

life for people and communities

BCC Belfast City Centre Regeneration Strategy and Investment Plan, December 2014 A range of different policies to support regeneration and investment in the city centre are outlined, including targeting employment and identifying a number of special action areas in the city (including Northern Quarter, Western Quarter and North East Quarter) ReNEW (Resource Innovation Network for European Waste) The Council’s Waste Management Service and Economic Development Unit together became partners in the ReNEW European project. ReNEW represents a network of organisations working together to support the development and commercialisation of viable new technologies which can recover valuable nutrients and chemicals from low value waste materials. ReNEW is funded by INTERREG IVB and supports the development of the emerging circular economy. Involvement in the project has increased the Council’s understanding of the opportunities which are presented by the circular economy model.

2.3.2 The Northern Ireland context

a. Sustainable Development Sustainable Development Duty Northern Ireland The Northern Ireland Executive is implementing16 a statutory duty to promote sustainable development, approved by the Northern Ireland Assembly. This provides an important policy foundation upon which the realisation of social, environmental and economic benefits from resource management can be furthered.

16 Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister (2013) Sustainable Development Statutory Duty – a Guide for Local Authorities http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/ofmdfm-stat-duty-guidance-2013.pdf

http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/ofmdfm-stat-duty-guidance-2013.pdf


b. Waste and resources strategy Delivering Resource Efficiency – the Northern Ireland waste strategy The primary direct policy context for Belfast’s materials remains the Northern Ireland waste strategy17 which sets out plans for waste prevention, improved recycling and resource efficiency and a commitment to deliver revised Waste Framework Directive targets of 50% recycling by 2020. c. Economic development policy The Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) is responsible for economic development policy and its strategy “Priorities for Sustainable Growth & Prosperity” was published in 2012. Its overall vision is to support and develop an export market and improve the ability of local industry to compete globally (see www.northernireland.gov.uk/ni-economic-strategy-revised-130312.pdf). This strategy cites the stimulation of “innovation, R&D and creativity” as one of its priorities, and sets targets for the level of associated financial investment and numbers of knowledge transfer projects to be achieved. At the time of writing, DETI is finalising a specific Innovation Strategy to support the delivery of this element of the economic strategy (see www.detini.gov.uk/innovation_strategy.pdf?rev=0). Generate Northern Ireland Project This is a business support programme18 aimed at opening up supply chain opportunities in the emerging markets for wind, marine, bio-energy, smart-grid and energy storage. Support is through access to mentoring, networking and best practice visits. The Generate Programme is jointly funded by Lisburn City Council, Belfast City Council, Castlereagh Borough Council, Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland and is delivered by Belfast Met.

2.3.3 The European and UK context

a. European waste and resources policy Consideration of the potential for a new materials strategy comes at an important moment for European waste and resources policy development. The European Commission has revived proposals for new waste targets and a Circular Economy package following the withdrawal of detailed proposals drawn up by the previous Commissioner, Janez Potočnik. The new Circular Economy Package (CEP)19 was launched for consultation by the Commission on 2nd December 2015. Comprising two key elements, a Circular Economy Action Plan and a

17 Department of the Environment Northern Ireland (2013) Delivering Resource Efficiency http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/wms_2013__tagged_and_reduced___.pdf_5.6mb.pdf 18 www.generateni.com 19 European Commission (2015) Circular Economy Strategy – all documents available under this link http://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/index_en.htm

http://www.northernireland.gov.uk/ni-economic-strategy-revised-130312.pdf

http://www.northernireland.gov.uk/ni-economic-strategy-revised-130312.pdf

http://www.detini.gov.uk/innovation_strategy.pdf?rev=0

http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/wms_2013__tagged_and_reduced___.pdf_5.6mb.pdf

http://www.generateni.com/

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/index_en.htm


series of revisions of Waste legislation, the Package is a comprehensive review of European waste and resources policy that will set the trajectory and policy context for the next fifteen years. The CEP will now work its way through the process of negotiation with the European Parliament and Council of Ministers. This should conclude by the end of 2016 or early 2o17, followed by transposition by individual Member States which should conclude by the end of 2018. While details remain formalised during negotiations, the Commission proposed a set of new targets which included:

A new municipal waste recycling and re-use target of 65% to be reached by 2030

A new landfill reduction target of 10% maximum landfill by 2030

Packaging recycling targets of 65% by 2025 and 75% by 2030 (including material specific targets of 75% for wood and 85% for ferrous metals, glass, aluminium, paper and cardboard) Other key proposals included:

Mandatory separate collection of biowaste (to be implemented upon transposition), subject to the provisions of TEEP (being technically, environmentally and economically practicable)

Review and harmonisation of the definition of recycling, to ensure all of Europe operates to a consistent measure

Extension of the recycling targets to 2035 for certain Member States that still have a very high dependency on landfill (not the United Kingdom nor any of its constituent parts)

A new Strategy for Plastics that will seek to address the market and technical barriers still hampering plastics reprocessing, with an outline recycling target (not yet mandatory) of 55% recycling by 2025

An Eco-design Strategy to be produced by 2017, to seek to address issues of design for recyclability, composite materials and products and resource efficiency. While many analysts suggest that the overall effect of the new CEP is to weaken the ambition set by the earlier draft Package, the reality for the United Kingdom under the present policy framework set by UK Government and the Northern Ireland Government is that a 65% recycling target can be seen as stretching. The effect of the Package, even while currently in negotiation, is to set a clear trajectory for Europe in the form of higher levels of recycling, severe reductions in landfill and opening up opportunities for re-use. While the Circular Economy Action Plan lacks legislative teeth at this stage, we consider that it sets an important tone for future policy and will lead to revisions to Directives in the next few years. It is a common pattern in Commission policy-making to set tone in a new policy area before legislating.


While the overall ambition and impact, in terms of targets and landfill bans, might be weakened, the focus on circular economy and resource efficiency initiatives as a lever for employment and economic growth remains a strong feature of the CEP, as it was in the previous draft Package. The new Package considers the challenges and opportunities in this area to be unchanged from those previously outlined in the Green Employment Initiative20. Former Commissioner Potočnik had strived to integrate employment and economic development proposals with his waste strategy, and despite the change of Commission and the fresh Circular Economy Package, the thinking on green employment has survived. Therefore, the consideration of a more materials focused strategy for Belfast is extremely timely, allowing Belfast City Council to proactively develop a strategic position, rather than reactively implement policy at a later stage. b. UK approach to European proposals When considering European waste and resources policy, the UK Government’s position on potential new waste targets from Europe is important to note. Although waste policy is a significant devolved activity, co-ordination of a UK response to European legislation remains the responsibility of Whitehall through Defra. This can be a source of tension when the devolved governments’ positions on waste and resources do not match; the Scottish Government for example have indicated clearly21 their intention to make separate representations to the Commission if necessary, as Scotland is more supportive than Whitehall of the broad thrust of the policy proposals discussed above. In fact, Defra have expressed opposition22 to higher waste recycling targets and to mandatory proposals to separate household food waste for reprocessing23. It is now quite clear that the UK Government (and some others, especially in the Central and Eastern European areas) successfully influenced the reduction of headline recycling targets in the revised CEP. The earlier proposal to mandate separate food waste collection was also reduced to a mandatory biowaste collection subject to TEEP provisions. Our understanding is that Defra remain resistant to elements of the CEP and are suggesting that the new recycling targets are still too high. Clearly there is much to do in the negotiation that unfolds in the coming months. However, despite the strong resistance of the UK Government, the broad thrust of policy remains ambitious and driving towards a circular economy. Therefore, the potential parallel ambitions of Belfast (and more widely Northern Ireland) may better reflect the European agenda.

20 European Commission (2014) Green Employment Initiative http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-765_en.htm 21 http://www.edie.net/news/5/MSP-hits-out-at-UK--reluctance--over-circular-economy/ 22 http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/08/uk-opposes-new-eu-waste-recycling-targets-in-leaked-paper 23 Their lines mirror the broad deregulatory policies of the UK Government and resistance to new measures from Europe at this time.



http://www.edie.net/news/5/MSP-hits-out-at-UK--reluctance--over-circular-economy/

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/08/uk-opposes-new-eu-waste-recycling-targets-in-leaked-paper

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/08/uk-opposes-new-eu-waste-recycling-targets-in-leaked-paper


2.3.4 Concluding commentary on policy context Our concluding consideration on the information gathered for this section is to note that much of the drive for a materials strategy that is ambitious beyond just recycling performance can come directly from the Council’s own overarching strategy for Belfast (the Belfast Agenda) and other underpinning/complementary Belfast City Council strategies that are focused on economic, social and environmental development. Our view is that the employment, regeneration and social agendas of Belfast, combined with the new drivers from Brussels for higher recycling targets and a circular economy that integrates job creation are the primary combination of drivers that will present the best opportunities. What happens at a UK and Northern Ireland government level remains important but not central to your emerging potential agenda.

2.4. Case Studies: Comparable Cities and Strategies The compilation of case studies for any piece of research can often be problematic, as the challenge of establishing valid comparators is heightened by differences in definition, description and even primary language. We have used the discussions that took place in the various interviews we conducted with Council officers and Members, as well as our own accumulated knowledge, to offer up a good range of case study material of relevance. First, we make the case for developing a materials strategy based on recycling market development. This was the foundation of WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) and still provides a good basis for how to develop a materials-based strategy. Incorporated into this case study is an examination of Zero Waste Scotland, which has evolved as an independent programme and organisation now separate from WRAP. We follow this with a series of city, region and nation-based case studies of waste and resource management with emerging circular economy elements, and conclude with a group of innovation project case studies that should also prove of use and interest. Case study 1 – WRAP: prioritising materials and developing markets, and Zero Waste Scotland: developing a ‘whole nation’ circular economy approach Over the last fifteen years, decent progress has been made in the UK on improving our recycling performance. Part of the mix of instruments used by Government to deliver this (alongside statutory targets and Landfill Tax) was an agency approach to identifying barriers to the use of recyclate in products, and facilitating a range of mechanisms to develop markets for recyclate. The concept and practice was adopted in the UK with the launch of WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) in 200124. WRAP’s approach itself followed elements of the model successfully delivered by the Clean Washington Center in Seattle, WA;

24 WRAP (2001) The WRAP Business Plan – creating markets for recycled resources


the Seattle initiative was launched in 1991 to work on creating markets for recycled products to support an ambitious regional recycling strategy25. The delivery model for recycling market development grew rapidly in the early 2000’s primarily through WRAP, but also through the emergence of regional delivery bodies (with London, Scotland, Wales, Yorkshire and North West having strong impact). Key elements of the recycling market development model included:

identifying and quantifying existing waste material flows;

identifying barriers to use of recyclate in products – including product standards unnecessarily discriminating against recyclate, lack of standards and specifications, technology gaps, perception barriers;

developing financial mechanisms to support investment in new and untried technology for recycling and product development, including revolving loan schemes and lease guarantee schemes;

developing new products standards (such as for compost) designed to end discriminatory practice against recycled products and open up markets with rigorous standards regimes, testing and verification – building confidence in the market and the product in previously sceptical procurers;

reviewing and influencing procurement policies to end or reduce discrimination against recycled products and to establish proactive purchasing policies - simple elements such as recycled products directories and green procurement guidance;

working with councils and the supply chain to improve communication and practice on ‘quality sourcing’, ensuring that the right quality recyclates became available for utilisation in new recycled products; and,

using major investment funds to directly influence major strategic step changes in reprocessing capacity, including support delivered within EU State Aid rules involving complex clearance approval processes at the European Commission.

The situation that presents itself today is somewhat different to fifteen years ago, as much progress has been made on recycling, meaning that some elements of ‘low hanging fruit’ have been captured in terms of markets for recycled materials. But the basic principles behind the approach, to identify potential to expand the secondary materials economy, still remain valid and applicable. It is our belief that a new UK-wide approach is needed to this work, to refresh the concept and practice of recycling market development for the next fifteen years and identify the remaining (or new) barriers and opportunities, based on our improved recycling performance and understanding of the changing nature of the material stream.

25 There is very little digital record of the Clean Washington Center, but an historical reference is here http://www.zerowastewashington.org/index.php/history

http://www.zerowastewashington.org/index.php/history


For the purposes of informing debate about the potential, recent important work commissioned by Zero Waste Scotland26 has been drawn upon. Their Priority Resource Streams report identified ten priority resource streams that could benefit from investment in additional recycling capacity to deliver economic and environmental benefits; several of these are streams where infrastructure has been limited. Criteria for identifying these streams as priorities included: availability of material in the waste stream; gaps in existing Scottish sorting and reprocessing infrastructure; ability to generate value and employment. They are:

Aluminium cans and foil

Batteries (post-consumer, non-auto)

Paper and board

PVC (including forming)

WEEE

Plastic film (including bags)

Glass (packaging)

Polystyrene (including forming)

Textiles and footwear

Wood In summary, they estimated that one-off investments totalling £24.5m in infrastructure (manufacturing, sorting, cleaning, finishing, etc.) across these resource streams would deliver over 92,000 tonnes annual recycling capacity, and an annual economic impact (new business turnover) of £23.5m in Scotland, although this estimate does not appear to incorporate a notional profitability from which a payback period can be estimated. Payback periods will vary across potential material sector investments. Clearly this approach could be adopted for Belfast and the analysis scaled accordingly for population, geography and material specific considerations. Work like this is critical in informing policy makers and potential investors; and in a favourable financial and political climate this kind of information will be an essential building block in making the case for the secondary materials economy within a materials strategy. Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) was originally devised by the Scottish Government in conjunction with WRAP who managed it as part of WRAP in its early years. ZWS became an organisation independent of WRAP in June 2014 and is now a Company Limited by Guarantee with a separate Chair and Non-Executive Board, with funding primarily directly from the Scottish Government. It acts as the Scottish Government’s main delivery and research body for its resource efficiency and circular economy policies and Zero Waste Plan. In recent times, its

26 Zero Waste Scotland (2012) Priority Resource Streams – Final Report http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Final%20Report%20on%20Priority%20Resource%20Streams%20June%202012.pdf

http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Final%20Report%20on%20Priority%20Resource%20Streams%20June%202012.pdf

http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Final%20Report%20on%20Priority%20Resource%20Streams%20June%202012.pdf


remit has expanded to include programmes on water and energy use and is now developing a broader remit for resource efficiency across the public and private sectors. It is a holistic programme, encompassing direct interventions such as finance for reprocessors and resource collections, business support, technical advice, training and competence development and communications support. As a ‘whole system’ programme for Scotland, now developing an approach to the circular economy (still subject to Government consultation) it provides many opportunities for inspiration and good practice that could apply to Belfast and more broadly to Northern Ireland. Our view is that ZWS could be useful mentoring partners for Belfast, recognising that they are operating on a scale and with financial resources that are significant (100 staff and over £20m annual funding) but nevertheless they have many projects that could be adaptable to the Belfast and broader Northern Ireland situation. A two-page summary of the highlights of ZWS work and impacts forms Appendix 4 of this report. It provides a useful overview of their programmes and impacts. Case Study 2 - Copenhagen: resource management plan for the city and collaborating to support the cleantech sector Collaboration with knowledge institutions is essential; this is a key message that came from the Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster Waste Report in 2012. In reviewing the transition of the waste sector to one focused on resource management it was found that integration of the latest R&D was crucial as the sector evolves, and that this can only be fully realised through effective collaboration. In addition, ensuring effective engagement with suppliers, customers, sub-contractors, and direct knowledge sharing was recognised to be very important in strengthening the future position of the city’s resource management sector. This close collaboration, supported by strong political leadership, is also considered to significantly increase the potential for creating industrial symbiosis (the matching of one business’s waste material with another’s need for feedstock material) in the city.27 Copenhagen has a clear overarching vision for 2050 based on a zero waste society where all material is reused or recovered for recycling/secondary raw materials/energy generation and where households lease services rather than consume products. One of the first steps in delivering this vision is the implementation of the Resource and Waste Management Plan, which aims to move waste management in Copenhagen as high up the waste hierarchy as possible. The Plan is described as a set of ‘clear visions supported by multi-sectoral strategies, time bound action plans and strong political will’.28 It focuses on four main topic areas (Less Waste; Better Separation; Efficient Collection; Better Treatment) each with targets, specific

27 Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster – Waste Report 2012 28 City of Copenhagen (2013) Resource and Waste Management Plan to 2018


measures to achieve them, and a main flagship initiative linked to each topic area. For example, aside from landfill bans and recycling targets one of the more immediate initiatives to drive forward progress is the development of a flagship recycling centre. In addition to conventional recycling activities, it will be a centre for innovation, knowledge and green growth, testing new measures, creating jobs in the reuse sector, providing a second life for products through up-cycling and a home for trials and projects. Incentivising waste separation through a fee structure, and extending deposit refund schemes at public events are also key initiatives within the Plan. And there is a focus on innovation in waste collection - using different fuels for vehicles to reduce noise and emissions for example, and looking at smart collection systems. There appears to be a wider acceptance of the positive socio-economic effects of adopting sustainable practices across the city, in terms of improved waste management and green technology energy providers amongst other sustainable practices.29 There are clearly a number of similarities and key messages for Belfast to take from this case study. There are already established links in place with knowledge institutions and commercial entities across the city; these can be further built upon to support the transition of the waste sector from being a largely separate entity to being part of a larger resource management picture. In addition, the process of undertaking this proposition document has involved a wide range of stakeholders, fostering a sense of collaboration during the early stages of developing a more circular approach towards materials management. Key consideration is being given to the governance and ownership of an ultimate materials focused strategy and the role of greentech is being supported within the context of the North Foreshore project. Case Study 3 - Kalundborg: working model of industrial symbiosis The city of Kalundborg provides an excellent example of industrial symbiosis that has evolved over time and may have particular resonance in terms of development of Belfast’s North Foreshore. It represents an extensive resource and environmental network with in excess of 20 bilateral commercial agreements in place between 5 industries, which include 2 waste handling companies and the utilities department of the local authority.30 The factors that supported this industrial symbiosis developing from the bottom up were that the potential and opportunities for sharing energy, water and resources were evident, physical distances were limited, there was an economic incentive to progress the agreement, communications and relationships were sound and there were no legal barriers to the agreements being developed. “Systems make it possible, people make it happen”.31

29 Green Growth Leaders. Copenhagen – Beyond Green, The Socio Economic Benefits of Being a Green City, http://www.sustainia.me/resources/publications/mm/CPH%20Beyond%20Green.pdf 30 http://www.hallbaravfallshantering.se/download/18.67f5ce4211a6c6ae31680004299/1350483375524/John+Kryger.pdf 31

http://www.hallbaravfallshantering.se/download/18.67f5ce4211a6c6ae31680004299/1350483375524/John+Kryger.pdf

http://www.sustainia.me/resources/publications/mm/CPH%20Beyond%20Green.pdf






The agreements have led to a significant reduction in emissions, a reduction in the consumption of virgin raw materials and a more efficient use of secondary raw materials.32 Initial investment was required but payback time has been relatively short due to the savings being realised. Whilst the industrial symbiosis developed over time and action was initiated from the bottom up, support can be given by “stocking the industrial ecosystem with the types of companies to create a better balance, either by supporting start-ups or targeting specific sectors”33. For Belfast, particularly in relation to the North Foreshore Project, the main message to take away from this case study is that, although industrial symbiosis does take time for relationships to evolve, the process can be supported and speeded up to a certain extent in terms of the companies or sectors attracted (or targeted) to the site. Fostering conversations between those companies in the first instance to highlight the potential opportunities available through industrial symbiosis can also be supported. Case Study 4 - Tokyo: an urban crucible for the creation of a circular economy Japan has spent the last decade or so seeing how it can apply more circular practices in order to maximise resource utilisation and productivity. A plethora of material recovery and recycling legislation and policy, and a legal requirement for manufacturers to operate disassembly plants, means that systems are in place from which much can be learned. It is reported that in 2007 the reuse and recycling economy in Japan was worth £163 billion and provided employment for 650,00034. Tokyo, Japan’s largest economic centre has not shied away from the challenges of more efficient resource management. As one of the C40 mega cities, more globally recognised for implementing the world’s first urban cap and trade35 programme to reduce CO2 emissions, Tokyo has also been driving forward the material management agenda. As a Super Eco-Town36, Tokyo has committed to providing the infrastructure necessary to transform the city into a recycling based society, through the provision of locations for environmental industries on municipally owned land. Through the Super Eco-Town project significant recycling capacity has been generated, and private investment for recycling businesses has significantly increased. This includes facilities for food waste recycling, recyclate reprocessing and energy generation. This has had a two-fold impact on Tokyo; firstly, regenerating areas of the city and bringing investment and employment opportunities, and secondly coordinating the necessary infrastructure required to recycle, recover and treat a range of different waste materials.

32 http://www.iisbe.org/iisbe/gbpn/documents/policies/instruments/UNEP-green-ind-zones/UNEP-GIZ-ppt-kalundborg%20case.pdf 33 http://www.iisbe.org/iisbe/gbpn/documents/policies/instruments/UNEP-green-ind-zones/UNEP-GIZ-ppt-kalundborg%20case.pdf 34 Innovate UK; www.the-ies.org/analysis/circular-economy-japan 35 http://cityclimateleadershipawards.com/tokyo-city-cap-and-trade-program/ 36 https://www.kankyo.metro.tokyo.jp/en/attachement/super_eco_town.pdf

http://www.iisbe.org/iisbe/gbpn/documents/policies/instruments/UNEP-green-ind-zones/UNEP-GIZ-ppt-kalundborg%20case.pdf




http://www.the-ies.org/analysis/circular-economy-japan

http://cityclimateleadershipawards.com/tokyo-city-cap-and-trade-program/

https://www.kankyo.metro.tokyo.jp/en/attachement/super_eco_town.pdf


However, the infrastructure alone has not been responsible for driving Tokyo towards a more resource focused city; extended producer responsibility is considered to be one of the most important concepts supporting the establishment of its sound material-cycle society. Nationally, green innovation is being used to grow the economy and generate jobs, and recycling policies have been developed within the context of securing critical materials for low carbon technologies. This national strategic and policy framework underpins local level actions aimed at increasing recycling. Although clearly scale is an issue with this case study, it does provide an example of what is possible in terms of supporting a resource centred approach to waste and materials management. Within Tokyo there is clear requirement to separate waste, and although not unified across Japan, or even across the 23 wards in Tokyo, separate collection of materials is made available, as is the infrastructure to manage the material collected. This infrastructure has been developed in collaboration with manufacturers and producers and the local authority, and ensures that resources are retained for subsequent manufacture. It is about jointing the theoretical dots and building up a localised reprocessing and low carbon sector to manage the material targeted for collection, minimising material being lost from the system. Again this emphasises the potential role that areas such as the North Foreshore project could play in developing an ‘Eco Town’ setup for Belfast, using municipal owned land to support development of infrastructure to enable resources to be retained and managed within Belfast. Case Study 5 – Berlin: up-cycling culture and circular economy development Berlin has truly embraced the up-cycling culture with an ever expanding network of designers, suppliers and shops. There are up-cycling fairs and Fashion Week events that are held regularly to showcase redesign of existing products. This includes clothing lines, furniture, jewellery, household products; a whole plethora of pre-loved and pre-used items that are up-cycled into unique items for sale. 37 The Berlin Tourist Board provide a link to the stores and markets that specialise in up-cycling and there is a detailed map (illustrated below) showing ‘Green Fashion Tours of Berlin’ with weekly multilingual tours on foot, bike, or by public transport of the up-cycling shops and labels.38

37 http://press.visitberlin.de/en/article/how-to-be-creative-with-waste-the-upcycling-trend-in-berlin 38 http://www.visitberlin.de/en/spot/green-fashion-tours-berlin-roadmap

http://press.visitberlin.de/en/article/how-to-be-creative-with-waste-the-upcycling-trend-in-berlin

http://www.visitberlin.de/en/spot/green-fashion-tours-berlin-roadmap


In Belfast, the council has developed a number of cultural quarters; for example, the Cathedral Quarter, which takes its name from St Anne's Cathedral (Church of Ireland) and hosts a yearly visual and performing arts festival; the Gaeltacht Quarter - the centre for Irish language and culture in the west of the city; and the Queens quarter in the south of city, which has a large student population and hosts an annual Belfast Festival39.

The potential for developing an area of the city that is focused on vintage, upcycled, pre-loved goods is evident and, especially as the Council’s City Centre Regeneration plan moves out of the conceptual/ strategic phase and towards the practical/ implementation phase, there is the scope to embrace this concept and replicate the successes experienced in Berlin. The concept is also one which might be considered in the Council’s thinking around Business Improvement Districts for the city as well as having a potential tourism benefit.

Case Study 6 – Rennes: social inclusion through a green jobs strategy There are numerous examples where the waste and resources sector has emerged as a valuable element in addressing social issues. In the recently published report40 from Eurocities, Rennes Metropole in France addressed its rising long term unemployment rate of

39 http://visit-belfast.com/home/page/our-quarters 40 Eurocities (2015) Green Jobs for Social Inclusion http://www.eurocities.eu/eurocities/news/Green-jobs-for-social-inclusion-WSPO-9X4KTS

http://visit-belfast.com/home/page/our-quarters

http://www.eurocities.eu/eurocities/news/Green-jobs-for-social-inclusion-WSPO-9X4KTS



low skilled people, through a partnership with non-profit social enterprises. This was achieved through the local authority enforcing social clauses in public procurement. A dedicated team ‘guichet unique des clauses sociales’ was set up in the authority as a single point of contact and to assist in adding social clauses to the authority’s procurement activities. As a result, the company responsible for collecting and recycling Rennes’ waste also runs a back to work programme. Those who ‘face barriers to employment’ are hired for 6 to 24 months and receive additional training, career guidance and job search assistance. The state subsidises the additional costs related to the training. The social clauses in Rennes Metropole’s public procurement contribute to supporting local social enterprises that assist 500 to 1,000 people annually in returning to the labour market. BCC is already exercising social clauses in relation to its waste management and other contracts, and may be able to further learn from approaches taken in Rennes for example, which has been very successful in providing opportunities for those who face barriers to employment, particularly in terms of those who are low skilled. Case Study 7 – Gothenburg: tackling long-term unemployment through reuse and repair Gothenburg has also utilised the waste and resource sector to address social issues. Residents in East Gothenburg have low educational attainment, high unemployment, lower income, increasing dependence on social welfare and poorer health. The priority of the city authorities is to have greater equality in living standards and to create a more socially sustainable city. This includes providing support for people furthest from the labour market and reducing the number of people dependent in the long term on social welfare. At the same time, one of the main environmental goals of the city of Gothenburg is to promote product reuse. The ‘Recycling House’ offers a rehabilitative employability and training programme for long term income support recipients, who have been out of the labour market for several years or have never worked. The programme aims to facilitate their entry into the labour market. The three to six-month programme allows participants to gradually adapt to the workplace environment and strengthen their competence and skills. The participants of the programme are involved in manufacturing products from recycled materials that are later sold in the ‘Recycling House’ shop. This includes repairing or creatively remodelling furniture, fixing up bicycles, household utensils, accessories, bags, plant pots and garden ornaments. The variety of the programme activities allows the project staff to gain an in-depth understanding of what has prevented the individuals from working and how these obstacles can be overcome. At the end of the programme, the support staff assess each participant’s progress and recommend the most suitable follow-up activities to advance their employability. These can include work placements, traineeships, education or vocational courses. The ‘Recycling House’ is run and funded by the social and welfare services of the East Gothenburg district administration in close collaboration with the local offices of the national public employment service.41

41 Eurocities (2015) Green Jobs for Social Inclusion http://www.eurocities.eu/eurocities/news/Green-jobs-for-social-inclusion-WSPO-9X4KTS




The Council’s Waste Management Service already feeds reusable and refurbishable items to the Re:Store initiative operated by East Belfast Mission, for repair (via a social economy employment model) and resale; but it might be worthwhile considering how this type of approach can be further developed, built upon or expanded using lessons learned from Gothenburg’s model. There might be scope to include a ‘Recycling House’ type facility on the new Environmental Resource Park. Case Study 8 – Milan: exemplars in collecting and processing food waste Milan continues to be lauded for its success in implementing and achieving success with a city-wide separate food waste collection. With a population of 1.5 million, in 700,000 households spread across 4 districts, Milan undertook a staged introduction of separate food waste collection from all households, hotels, restaurants and catering facilities. Collections are twice a week from households, and up to 6 times a week from the relevant businesses included in the scheme. The success of the approach is such that 86% of the city’s biowaste42 is collected separately, equating to 260,000 tonnes per year of food waste43, and contamination levels are reportedly kept below 5%. Food waste is managed at two transfer stations and transported approximately 40Km to an AD plant44 which has the capacity to treat 300,000 tonnes. A joint public-private company, AMSA45, is responsible for the whole cycle of waste management of MSW in Milan, including collection and street cleaning, treatment, disposal and recovery of materials and energy. The arrangement in its current form has developed over time and does mean that coordinating the districts in terms of collection and management is simplified as there is a single organisation involved which is a joint public-private entity. It would not necessarily be easy to replicate this model in other towns and cities where very different systems exist; this arrangement has evolved as the needs of residents and services have evolved, but the AMSA has been around in some form or another for more than a century. In addition, the market for the end product from AD is stimulated through subsidy programmes across the regions to promote the use of organic fertilisers rather than mineral. Also, the power generated is used for a plastic reprocessing plant which shares the same site as the AD facility. One of the key factors believed to contribute to the success of the separate food waste collection scheme is that householders are allowed to use biodegradable plastic bags (certified compostable bioplastic46) for their food waste; this is made easy by the fact that Italy has banned single use polyethylene bags and supermarkets only sell compostable biodegradable bags. In addition, in terms of stakeholder engagement and communications, a 42 Biowaste in Italy refers to food and green waste, although generally they are collected separately not comingled. 43 ref: Italian Composting and Biogas Association 44 www.organicsstream.org/2014/02/10/zerowaste-italy-and-milan-case-study/ 45 Now part of A2A Group, a multi-utility company 46 http://www.renewablematter.eu/partners/CIC/CIC%20annual_report2015eng.pdf

http://www.organicsstream.org/2014/02/10/zerowaste-italy-and-milan-case-study/


whole city approach is taken and multiple tools are used to engage with the householder including direct mailing, door-to-door contact, local media and TV, promotional events across the city in the lead-up to the changes, direct contact with schools and use of social media. Alongside the introduction of the separate food waste collection service a transparent bag was introduced for residual waste; this enables front line crew to easily spot misplaced recyclate, and offending householders can be targeted in order to maximise the diversion from landfill and the capture of dry recyclable materials. Participation in the separate collection services is compulsory and an incentive scheme operates across neighbourhoods, as does a penalty process, with fines imposed for non-participation. A significant proportion of households are in shared buildings with communal waste facilities and any fines imposed apply to the entire block. However, an intense period of engagement and education prior to rolling out new services or changes to schemes, informing residents of the benefits of participation, generally results in residents willingly taking part, but a rigorous enforcement regime is in place to tackle non-compliance should it be necessary. PAYT clearly plays a part in terms of behaviour change; this aspect is not easily replicated where those powers do not exist, but other aspects such as communications, engagement and enforcement can be. Milan shows that, if coordinated effectively, a city-wide separate food waste collection service, incorporating apartments and houses of multiple occupation, can work successfully. Coordinated and wide ranging engagement is crucial to secure participation, and the system should be as easy to use as possible. In addition, the positive impact of the effect on recycling rate (reported to be in the early 30’s prior to the implementation of the food waste service and estimated to be above 50% in 2014) cannot be denied. Belfast’s recent Waste Characterisation Study indicated that, despite the existence of city-wide food collections, there is still a significant proportion of food waste being lost to landfill. Note also that over 20% of Belfast households are apartments. The particular learning point for Belfast would be to understand the detail of the communications mix and its role in this successful food waste collection, to build on the existing collections in Belfast and maximise the capture of material. Case Study 9 - San Francisco: high diversion, export dependent zero-waste approach San Francisco has gained global notoriety through its 100% zero waste by 2020 pledge47; whist it continues to be broadly applauded as a bold move, there has been speculation about how this can be achieved and there has been subsequent criticism in some quarters over its reliance on recycling export markets and limited focus on reuse and local remanufacture, this is discussed in more detail below. There has also been some criticism over its landfill diversion calculations (reported to be 80%), said to include C&D waste48, so is not directly comparable

47 http://cityclimateleadershipawards.com/san-francisco-zero-waste-program/ 48 http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/san-francisco-stalls-in-its-attempt-to-go-trash-free/

http://cityclimateleadershipawards.com/san-francisco-zero-waste-program/

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/san-francisco-stalls-in-its-attempt-to-go-trash-free/


to other cities but it is clear that significant progress has been made in recovering recyclable and organic waste and diverting these waste streams from landfill. The city has achieved this by a combination of policies, strategies and incentives including an ordinance requiring mandatory separation of household waste, banning disposable plastic carrier bags from stores, and also banning the sale of small plastic water bottles on public property. In addition to targeting the conventional materials the City has also launched a Zero-Waste Textile Initiative49, in partnership with a number of other non-profit organisation, retail businesses, and international textile-recycling firm I: Collect. The commitment made by the City in relation to its zero waste pledge has provided the structure and focus for all its decisions; this is something that was echoed in other case studies, in that even if the baseline is poor, making that commitment provides the clear direction of travel and the structure for all subsequent decisions. Also like Milan, separation of household waste is a mandatory requirement and implementing other legal measures has provided the necessary impetus for residents to engage and participate. It is worth noting that San Francisco relies heavily on the export market for its recyclate, rather than developing infrastructure within the locality to reprocess the material and maximise the amount of value retained within the city. This has led to challenging times because of international price fluctuations and China, which receives a high proportion of the world’s recyclate, imposing its ‘green fence’ to reject shipments which are too contaminated and ensure that only quality material is imported.50 Clearly caution needs to be applied if the long term business model relies on external export markets. Therefore, San Francisco provides an example of what is possible in a city centred on a more resource orientated approach to managing materials, but also illustrates the potential pitfalls where reliance is on export markets to maximise value. By keeping Belfast materials in local use and circulation, Belfast’s materials strategy would help to insulate the city from this problem. Case Study 10 – Oslo: strong sustainability ambitions conflicting with high investment in disposal technology (energy from waste) Oslo, with a population of 1.4 million people, has been driving forward its integrated waste management strategy over the last decade51. With a 50% recycling target in place for 2014, coupled with recycling and recovery focused strategies and polices (including a ban on

49 See http://www.sfenvironment.org/textiles and http://www.ico-spirit.com/en/news/ico-city-helping-san-francisco-reach-zero-textile-waste,56.html 50http://e360.yale.edu/feature/interview_jack_macy_putting_san_francisco_on_the_road_to_zero_waste/2767/

51 http://www.c40.org/case_studies/waste-management-system

http://www.sfenvironment.org/textiles

http://www.ico-spirit.com/en/news/ico-city-helping-san-francisco-reach-zero-textile-waste,56.html

http://www.ico-spirit.com/en/news/ico-city-helping-san-francisco-reach-zero-textile-waste,56.html

http://e360.yale.edu/feature/interview_jack_macy_putting_san_francisco_on_the_road_to_zero_waste/2767/

http://e360.yale.edu/feature/interview_jack_macy_putting_san_francisco_on_the_road_to_zero_waste/2767/

http://www.c40.org/case_studies/waste-management-system


biodegradable waste to landfill), there is an onus on the householder to play an active part in the management of their waste. There is a requirement from the local authority for householders to source separate paper, drinks cartons, plastic packaging and food waste for collection; residents are also required to take glass and metals to any of the city’s many bring sites. The focus is on normalising good waste management behaviour. This is achieved through a combination of education and engagement, enforcement and charging mechanisms. The source separated food waste is currently processed in a biogas plant (that is based exclusively on food waste52); the biogas is used as fuel for public transport vehicles and also bio fertilizer. A major part of the integrated approach is to ensure no waste goes to landfill, and to convert material not recycled into energy for the city. This strategy is not without its challenges; Oslo has previously hit the headlines in relation to its focus on energy from waste, and in particular its overcapacity which requires waste to be imported53. As the facilities form an integral part of the energy provision for around half of the households and all schools in Oslo there is a need to ensure there is sufficient waste to burn. Capacity is therefore a key consideration within any approach, particularly if there is a reliance on waste material as an energy source; how this marries up in the longer term with recycling and reuse initiatives would need to be considered. The challenge has been in reconciling Oslo’s ambitions to become the world’s leading sustainable city, running on 100% renewable energy by 2020, with its wider resource policies; avoiding unintended consequences of one policy against another is key. This is a positive but cautionary example of the role that energy from waste can play whilst being mindful of capacity issues and potential adverse consequences on reuse and recycling initiatives. Belfast has made a commitment to supply the planned arc21 energy from waste plant with a proportion of the city’s residual waste. The potential impact of this arrangement was discussed with stakeholders (which included the arc21 Chief Executive) during the workshop, and it was not considered to adversely affect a materials management strategy for the city. Case Study 11 – Innovation in circular economy development In terms of innovation there are a number of research projects currently underway, focusing specifically on creating value from secondary materials. Innovate UK has recently commissioned two collaborative R&D research programmes. One is designed to improve processes to increase the value of resources recovered from continuously produced waste; up to £4.5m has been made available with the 12-24 month projects starting sometime after the end of April 201554. The other is looking at building circular economy value networks,

52 http://www.sustainablecities.eu/local-stories/oslo-waste-management/ 53 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/world/europe/oslo-copes-with-shortage-of-garbage-it-turns-into-energy.html?_r=0 54 https://interact.innovateuk.org/-/recovering-valuable-materials-from-waste

http://www.sustainablecities.eu/local-stories/oslo-waste-management/

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/world/europe/oslo-copes-with-shortage-of-garbage-it-turns-into-energy.html?_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/world/europe/oslo-copes-with-shortage-of-garbage-it-turns-into-energy.html?_r=0

https://interact.innovateuk.org/-/recovering-valuable-materials-from-waste


focusing on user take back business models and building the required (new) networks; initially looking at feasibility studies it is the intention that collaborative R&D will follow with a provisional budget of £4m55. Although too early to comment in detail, the outcomes from these research programmes need to be a key consideration in the steps that Belfast takes in the medium term. The WRAP REBus programme is also looking at resource efficient business models. Focusing on four key markets (electrical, clothing, furniture and construction), interesting supported projects 56 are currently underway and have the potential to provide further data and information to feed into the strategy as it develops. In terms of clothing, although it is estimated that 2,400 tonnes of textiles are captured from the householder in Belfast each year57, a further 2,400 still remains in the kerbside residual waste stream alone58; it is also unclear what proportion of the 2,400 tonnes captured is actually reused. In a report59 produced for the European Environmental Bureau in 2014, it was found that the proportion of collected clothes that could be reused has declined to below 50% as a consequence of cheap and poorly designed products in the market place. Recycling of textiles tends to be open loop, where fibre is used for non-clothing application such as industrial uses. This down cycles the original yarn into a textile of lower value. Closed loop recycling on the other hand takes post-consumer clothing and uses this to generate new clothing; this area is of particular interest to manufacturers keen to look for alternatives to virgin cotton sources. Worn Again60, a UK based company, is currently focused on developing a chemical textile to textile recycling technology that will enable end of use clothes and textiles to be collected, processed and made back into new yarn, textiles and clothes again and again. Although in the relatively early stages, progress on this technology is expected to be forthcoming this year and would potentially bring a solution to any textile waste which cannot be sold by charity shops and other outlets. Bulky goods and electrical/electronic waste is another targeted waste stream and one that has been identified as having significant untapped potential. In Belfast, East Belfast Mission is very active with regard to furniture, operating ‘Re: Store’, a social economy project selling a range of good quality second hand and refurbished items such as, furniture, clothing, books, bric-a-brac, bikes and other household items; reusable items from the Council’s HRC’s are fed into this scheme. In addition, operating as a member of Furniture Reuse Network (FRN), the East Belfast Mission was awarded the Most Excellent Approved Reuse Centre in the UK (one

55 https://interact.innovateuk.org/documents/1524978/1866952/Circular+economy+business+models+-+Competition+brief/3d25c5cb-32c6-4db3-aa96-83e0006edeb1 56 http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/new-business-models-who-were-working 57 According to Belfast City Council’s own data 58 Calculated by applying the results of Belfast’s waste composition study to the kerbside residual tonnage for 2013/14 in WasteDataFlow 59 Beasley J & Georgeson R (2014) Advancing Resource Efficiency in Europe – indicators and waste policy scenarios to deliver a resource efficient and sustainable Europe Brussels: European Environmental Bureau http://www.eeb.org/EEB/?LinkServID=4E9BB68D-5056-B741-DBCCE36ABD15F02F 60 http://wornagain.info/

https://interact.innovateuk.org/documents/1524978/1866952/Circular+economy+business+models+-+Competition+brief/3d25c5cb-32c6-4db3-aa96-83e0006edeb1

https://interact.innovateuk.org/documents/1524978/1866952/Circular+economy+business+models+-+Competition+brief/3d25c5cb-32c6-4db3-aa96-83e0006edeb1

http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/new-business-models-who-were-working

http://www.eeb.org/EEB/?LinkServID=4E9BB68D-5056-B741-DBCCE36ABD15F02F

http://wornagain.info/


of only two organisations in Northern Ireland who have been awarded this status). Electricals have been more problematic, and will need some more thought and perhaps some investment, in order to arrive at an effective repair/ re-use model. ‘Smart city thinking’ is an emerging area of innovation and is beginning to be adopted by some urban councils including Belfast61. A good example is use of solar powered compacting litter bins which reduce collection costs by optimising capacity and using smart monitoring systems. These can be used for single stream recyclate; although clearly the potential impact of compaction on the quality of material in terms of reprocessing needs to be a consideration. More widely applicable is the use of smart bins that transmit real time data to enable collection schedules to be optimised and ensure capacity is adequately maximised to meet the needs of the population. These intelligent systems can deliver long term cost savings and efficiencies through reduced collection costs and enable resources to be appropriately targeted. Innovation in circular economy requires the involvement of a broad range of stakeholders, such as designers, researchers, chemists, engineers, manufacturers and so on. FabLab, which have a facility in Belfast, were set up to inspire people and give them the opportunity to turn their ideas into new products and prototypes through access to a range of advanced digital manufacturing technology. In London, FabLab62 has taken this one step further by working closely with the Great Recovery Project63 bringing together new collaborators and supporting start-ups who are re-thinking systems and services around more circular models. FabLab enables access to cutting edge technology, in order to rapidly prototype new ideas such as 3D printing of concepts at the early stages. It is all about bringing manufacturing back to major urban centres and facilitating development of supply chains and local reuse opportunities, through the rapid transfer of ideas into products and services. In addition, the ‘tear down’ process in the FabLab supports rethinking of product design, looking at tools to help manufacturers and designers map materials from source to end of life disposal, and consider how that path can be disrupted and the materials reused. Clearly, based on experiences elsewhere, there is significant potential for the role of FabLab Belfast to be further developed within the context of the proposed materials strategy. Belfast City Council already has some links/ partnerships with FabLab Belfast and with research facilities such as Questor and CASE (in QUB) and NIACE (Northern Ireland Advanced Composites and Engineering Centre). All of these facilities can have a role to play in the delivery of the city’s materials strategy, by researching, developing and implementing new technologies, most of which are likely to have application elsewhere. The recognition and success of the ReNEW project puts the Council in a good position to further develop these 61 There is a designated Officer within the Council whose remit is ‘Smart City’ 62 http://www.greatrecovery.org.uk/fab-fridays-introduction-to-the-great-recovery-and-fab-lab-london/ 63 The Great Recovery Project63, supported by the RSA, has been working with stakeholders and others to investigate how design can most effectively play a role in supporting an economic transformation delivering wealth and growth; albeit decoupled from environmental impact ref: http://www.greatrecovery.org.uk/ plus comments and feedback from Sophie Thomas, Director, RSA

http://www.greatrecovery.org.uk/fab-fridays-introduction-to-the-great-recovery-and-fab-lab-london/

http://www.greatrecovery.org.uk/


relationships and involve itself in other European partnerships and funded projects which will deliver benefits for the City. Case Study 12 – Innovation in resource management: a City Region approach in Liverpool Across the city regions there are examples where consideration is being given to the delivery of a more circular approach to resource management, and Liverpool City Region (LCR) is a good example. The Chief Executive of Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (formerly referred to as Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority), Carl Beer, stated that the ambitions of the city region are to develop a single holistic resource strategy. This is intended to support the implementation of strategic interventions which aim to direct flows of resources locally, thereby retaining the ‘value’ of materials within the city region as far as is practicable. Accepting that LCR will be a net importer for some materials and a net exporter for others, the view is that better stewardship of resources can help insulate the City Region from commodity price shocks and security of supply risk. There is an acceptance of a need to ‘invest’ in strategies to increase businesses resource efficiency and productivity, re-use, recycling and reprocessing of materials within the LCR to create value in the form of jobs and economic value retention. Liverpool have recognised that the lack of a clear resource management strategy for the City Region means that a lot of current activity in this area is disjointed, un-coordinated, unfocused and lacks reach/influence. Furthermore, the work is often short term and time limited due to the cyclic nature of funding – with intellectual capital, momentum and branding often lost as different providers leave the marketplace. To address this, consideration is being given to the development of a Resource Management Institute. The aim of this Institute – under the leadership of the University of Liverpool Heseltine Institute and supported by a Stakeholder Board including MRWA, Groundwork and The Chamber of Commerce – will be to provide a leadership focus for this area of work, directing the development of new delivery programmes and projects, and acting as a repository for all of the intellectual capital developed by the LCR through its publically funded programmes. In addition, there is the desire to set up an online Knowledge Hub to centrally facilitate conversations and discussions from all stakeholders engaged with or interested in delivering a more circular economy.

One of the driving forces in terms of actions in LCR is the desire to create a critical mass of stakeholders, from all walks of life, who through discussion, sharing of ideas, examples of good practice, can nudge circular thinking into the mainstream. One way they are addressing this is showcasing existing circular economy businesses in the LCR and developing a four-part TV programme to be aired on a local tv channel. In addition, LCR are working closely with the LEP, looking into funding outlets and opportunities and also looking at what the authorities can do together and the wider impact this can have. For example, the MWRA is looking into the potential for developing a separate food waste collection service to serve all authorities in the LCR. They are looking at the potential of investing in a local digester and exploring the viability of using the gas generated to power local public transport.

Whilst it fair to say that the LCR is at the early stages of its considerations, it is starting to set out the foundations upon which it can build and develop a more circular way of operating,


with the goal firmly focused on generation of jobs, maximising value of resources and retaining those resources within the LCR.

Liverpool’s approach is well worth Belfast’s close consideration. It is an example of good long-term and holistic thinking, considering waste within the context of all materials and physical resources flowing through the city. In doing this, their model presents a wider range of economic benefits than most of the others discussed, as it recognises that good materials management can make the city more resilient in the face of external factors which are outside of its control.

Case Study 13: Flanders – long term approaches to intensive waste diversion and material resource efficiency evolving into a circular economy

Flanders has been a noted exemplar for delivering high recycling and diversion from landfill for many years. It has been widely case studied and indeed Members and Officers of the Council have been on study visits to the Belgian autonomous region.

As a case study, it provides inspiration and many examples of projects that have combined to deliver a recycling rate of over 70%. There are significant aspects to the way this has been delivered that are not immediately directly applicable – such as the application of Pay As You Throw (PAYT) for household waste collections which has a major impact on public behaviour and increased recycling. They also have comprehensive national Extended Producer Responsibility schemes for many products (including batteries, vehicles, print, tyres, electrical equipment, oils, lighting, animal fats, medicines) which direct funds from producers into municipal collection schemes.

These major policy differences need to be highlighted, as they are significant factors in why Flanders has done so well and they are also harder to deliver in the UK context. Alongside this though, their success can be attributed to a long term approach, high political support across parties for many years - a genuine cross-party consensus on waste management and resource recovery, and a very intensive approach to waste prevention messaging, public communications and enforcement that has really helped to shape public behaviour, alongside the fiscal incentives to recycle and reduce/reuse created by PAYT.

A useful slide set64 summarising the Flanders approach is attached as a link. This was presented by the Flanders Public Waste Agency (OVAM) at the International Solid Waste Association Annual World Congress held recently in Antwerp, Flanders. It shows how their approach to ‘advanced waste management’ incorporates a materials strategy but shows that this is focused on intense diversion, source separation, high quality recyclate for which markets are much easier to identify and nurture, often closer to home.

64 OVAM presentation to the ISWA World Congress (2015) http://iswa2015.org/assets/files/downloads/climate_change_and_resource.pdf

http://iswa2015.org/assets/files/downloads/climate_change_and_resource.pdf


A more comprehensive case study65 is included as a further link. Produced by the GAIA organisation, it boldly describes Flanders as “Europe’s Best Recycling and Prevention Program” and our view is that this epithet is justified.

65 Allen C (2012) Flanders, Belgium: Europe’s Best Recycling and Prevention Program http://no-burn.org/downloads/ZW%20Flanders.pdf

http://no-burn.org/downloads/ZW%20Flanders.pdf

http://no-burn.org/downloads/ZW%20Flanders.pdf


Section 3: Moving Forward

3.1 Setting context - Summary of Findings To set the scene for our consideration of how to move the strategy development forward, it is worthwhile summarising the highlights of our findings so far. From all our research, interviews and assessment of the situation we can see that:

Belfast City Council’s Waste Management Service has made good progress against targets in a challenging business environment and has developed services that stand up to scrutiny against comparable authorities across the United Kingdom;

The Waste Management Service clearly has an appetite for further development, and can see the opportunities that could be realised from integrating the circular economy approach across the Council;

We were encouraged by the extent to which other departments of the Council, services, senior officers and elected Members have been engaged in this process and understand the potential for jobs, growth and regeneration that may come from a circular economy approach to materials;

Belfast City Council, given the political interest and officer expertise, has the ability to begin the circular economy journey, regardless of the positioning of the UK or Northern Ireland Governments. Government policy is important, but the influence and impact of Belfast within the NI economy can make it a leader rather than a follower in this policy area;

While UK and NI Governments appear to be in a policy vacuum awaiting new directions from Brussels, this matters less to Belfast’s agenda, and the emerging policy agenda in Brussels matters more. The Commission’s new Circular Economy Package may still need agreement on many details, but the overall direction of travel is undeniably towards higher recycling, very little landfill and the emergence of the circular economy;

The local recycling and reprocessing industries in Northern Ireland present a mixed picture. While there are some unique aspects to the local reprocessing scene that are positive and more forward thinking (including good markets for glass and to an extent paper and plastics), much of the local industry is still looking only at traditional notions of their business and reliance on export as the primary route for resource diversion from landfill;

Circular economy development will need much of the local recycling sector to look outside its normal boundaries for business opportunities. Indeed, many of the opportunities that may emerge might not involve this sector at all, but attract and


originate from other areas of business and industry – for example, logistics, manufacturing, engineering, digital sector, service providers, finance and marketing;

This analysis makes the need for a cross-departmental approach by Belfast City Council all the more important and potentially with strong partnership working between Economic Development and Waste Management. New players in the circular economy may tend to engage firstly with Economic Development for example, as they may not even regard themselves as part of the ‘waste’ business. Therefore, it may be more appropriate for the Waste Management Service to operate ‘behind the scenes’, providing CE expertise and knowledge. Delivering a local CE model needs a new mindset, but Belfast has a better chance than most of doing this because you are already starting to think this way.

With that scene set, below are our thoughts on what the next steps for the materials strategy may involve.

3.2 Partners and Stakeholders Any new materials strategy should successfully deliver transformation in the way that material resources flowing into and through the city are viewed and indeed used. Ideally/ eventually the strategy should encompass more than simply the waste materials over which the Council has control, although this is the natural place to start. It must certainly challenge and go beyond traditional perceptions of waste management and recycling, and aim to be a catalyst for economic and social benefit that adds value to regeneration and urban initiatives. To do this, the harnessing of actions from a wide range of potential partners and stakeholders is essential. No one section of the Council will have the skills, resources and contacts necessary to deliver the strategy. And the Council as a whole will need to work in partnership with other agencies to achieve optimum impact. In order for the strategy to be successful, that partnership will need to establish networks and arrangements with other likeminded cities, regions and initiatives in the UK and Europe, for the purposes of sharing materials and knowledge, and developing skills and technologies. Rethinking the approach to materials takes various sections of the Council into relationships that they may not previously have envisaged. We have sought to illustrate how the materials strategy can be seen as a unifying ‘golden thread’ that brings many key stakeholders together. It shows the range of interests that need to work collaboratively to maximise the benefits of a new materials strategy.


Figure 7: Partners and Stakeholders

It has already been discussed that the term ‘materials strategy’, while a useful starting point, is now somewhat misleading and limiting. It is important that a meaningful name is agreed to more accurately convey the spirit of the initiative. We suggest that the potential impact that good materials and resource management can make across the priorities of the Council, combined with the contribution that this approach can make to the City’s resilience, as well as its regeneration ambition, can be better captured under the bold brand of Resourceful Belfast.

3.3. Aligning with Regional Strategies and Potential Governance Belfast is developing a coherent and focused strategy for regeneration, incorporating social, environmental and economic objectives. Through the Belfast Agenda a clear momentum is evident, and we see the potential for the new materials strategy to fully integrate with this. Indeed, we suggest that the materials strategy, if fully integrated into the thinking and policy

Resourceful Belfast

Waste Management

ServiceReprocessing and Recycling

Industry

European Unit - Funding and Policy Analysis

North Foreshore

Corporate Policy and Strategy: Belfast Agenda

Economic Development

Unit

Waste Producers

Design and Innovation:

Industry and Academia

EU Policy

UK and NI Strategies & Departments

Social Enterprise Incubation: Reuse and

Repair


objectives of the Council through the Belfast Agenda, could provide a significant underpinning for many aspects of the Council’s policy agenda. This is illustrated in Table 2 as a simple representation of how well the proposed materials strategy aligns with other key policy objectives. Table 2: Mapping of Alignment with other key Plans and Strategies

Re

sou

rce

ful

Be

lfas

t - m

ate

rial

s

stra

teg

y

Be

lfas

t A

ge

nd

a

No

rth

Fo

resh

ore

Pro

ject

Inte

gra

ted

Eco

no

mic

Fr

amew

ork

Co

rpo

rate

Pla

n 2

015

-16

Em

plo

yab

ilit

y an

d S

kill

s Fr

amew

ork

Cit

y C

entr

e R

ege

ne

rati

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&

Inve

stm

ent

Ge

ne

rate

No

rth

ern

Ir

ela

nd

Employment opportunities

Job creation √ √ √ √ √ √ √

Training & skills development √ √ √ √ √ √ Economic development

Attracting investment in appropriate technologies

√ √ √ √ √ √

Sustainable economic growth √ √ √ √ √ √ √ Maximising value from resources

√ √

Environment Environmental protection √ √ √ Promoting prevention, reuse and repair

√ √

Up-cycling & recycling of materials

√ √

Renewable or sustainable energy

√ √ √ √

Social Social equity √ √ √ √

Health and wellbeing √ √ √

In terms of potential governance, this approach implies that an obvious place for the materials strategy to sit would be fully integrated into the delivery mechanisms for the Belfast Agenda, rather than sitting exclusively in the Waste Management Service where it originated. This might be a significant departure from traditional practice, but would be logical if the strategy was to successfully open up the cross-departmental and external opportunities that exist. When this topic was discussed at the Workshop, it was suggested that the starting point would be for the role of the strategy to be considered by the Council’s Corporate Management Team before a later consideration by members. There was wide support for ensuring that the strategy was fully integrated into the corporate thinking and implementation process but the question of where exactly the strategy should sit was left open for further discussion.


Our view is that there are several key considerations for a governance model for the materials strategy that must be taken into account. Governance needs to be:

not over burdensome in terms of management and administration – a light and efficient touch;

established with clear lines of responsibility through the Belfast Agenda and Corporate Policy/Strategy;

mature enough to involve key stakeholders in the provision of advice and governance roles, being mindful of potential conflicts of interest; and,

operating at a senior level to ensure corporate ‘buy in’ and effective delivery. It is difficult to apply any ‘off the shelf’ models for this scenario. Partnership governance in relation to waste and resources has tended to focus on relationships between different authorities, setting in place systems and structures to support inter authority sharing of services and/or responsibilities. This has included formalising legal and financial arrangements and appointing a lead authority to administer the arrangements on behalf of the authorities in question. However, in this scenario the partnerships being proposed to advance the resource agenda are both inter-departmental and with external organisations such as research institutions, investment bodies, funding agencies and the private sector. Some aspects of this partnership may simply require a Memorandum of Understanding, which whilst not legally binding does formalise intent between organisations and define relationships. Other aspects of the partnership will depend to a great extent what it is that the partnership is trying to achieve. There is a real potential for governance arrangements and discussions around governance arrangements to become all-consuming and this is something that has in the past derailed or delayed local government in their endeavours to change the way they operate. The critical aspect is that the strategic direction is agreed at a senior level and the governance is developed accordingly to support delivery of that strategy; it is fit for purpose without being onerous.

3.4. Potential Economic, Environmental and Social Impacts A new materials strategy that starts to implement elements of the circular economy will move resource management further up the ‘hierarchy’ (see figure 8) towards reuse and repair, remanufacturing and more recycling. This will have positive economic, environmental and social impacts. As previously discussed, the ideal materials strategy will encompass materials and resources other than the city’s ‘waste’. However, the following discussion focuses mainly on the benefits arising from a materials management approach to the waste materials, as they are already largely within the Council’s control and there is data available. Broadening the scope will obviously bring even greater benefits.


Figure 8: A More Circular Economy focused Waste Hierarchy66

This document has focused on possible economic and social impacts with a view to embedding the importance of materials into these elements of the Council’s corporate strategies.

3.4.1 Environmental Impacts and Benefits

Environmental benefits and impacts from better resource management are well documented and will need to be described in the Strategy itself. For the purposes of this report, we make a working assumption that these benefits are accepted and that baseline information such as that provided by WRAP on Environmental Benefits of Recycling, their work on reuse and the circular economy67 will provide a good foundation for the strategy. Reduced consumption of natural resources, energy saving, carbon reduction, reduced water usage, reduced carbon impact, reduced emissions are generally all identified as positive environmental benefits of increased reuse and recycling compared to disposal. Clearly meeting environmental targets is also a credible benefit of improved material and resource management.

66 http://www.zerowasteeurope.eu/2013/04/zero-waste-hierarchy/zw-hierarchy-2/ 67 Various www.wrap.org.uk reports describe the environmental benefits attached to higher recycling, reuse, repair and remanufacturing.

http://www.wrap.org.uk/


3.4.2 Employment Impacts and Benefits

An important aspect to realising the value in resources is the recognition that better resource use can be an employment creator and this inherently adds value into the economy. Most studies have failed to take consistent methodological approaches to estimating the employment impact of ambitious recycling targets and better resource use (including reuse), but the key messages remain very similar – namely that recycling creates significantly more jobs than waste disposal through landfill or incineration, and that re-use has the potential to create even more when measured on a per tonnes basis, given the relative labour intensity of many re-use activities68. Whilst very dependent upon the nature of the activity it has been estimated that on average 59 jobs are created per 1000 tonnes of reuse activities. This includes white goods, furniture, small WEEE, and reuse shops.69 Green Alliance and WRAP recently published a comprehensive analysis of opportunities for employment in a more circular economy70. Where this differed from previous studies was that it took a much more detailed examination of labour market differentials on a regional basis as well as a more granular analysis of job type and number in several scenarios for a more ambitious approach to the circular economy. It considered issues of displacement and net job creation across employment type and should be considered as the most valuable contribution to this body of research so far. Their initial project did not cover Northern Ireland, but subsequently a supplementary piece of research has followed the same methodology for the province. It used economic modelling and assessments of structural change in employment to model various circular economy scenarios for Northern Ireland and produce some estimates of potential net job creation from circular economy activities. 68 Of a range of reports that build this picture, the most recently comprehensive review is: Green Alliance and WRAP (2015) Opportunities to tackle Britain’s labour market challenges through growth in the circular economy http://www.green-alliance.org.uk/resources/Opportunities%20to%20tackle%20Britain%27s%20Labour%20Market%20Challenges.pdf This report builds on several others, the most recent and useful of which are: Cascadia Consulting Group (2009), Recycling and Economic Development: a review of existing literature on job creation, capital investment and tax revenues, for King County Solid Waste Division, WA http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/linkup/documents/recycling-economic-development-review.pdf Friends of the Earth Europe (2010), More jobs, less waste – potential for job creation through higher rates of recycling in the UK and EU, URSUS Consulting and RGR-Ray Georgeson Resources for FoEE http://www.foeeurope.org/publications/2010/More_Jobs_Less_Waste_Sep2010.pdf Tellus Institute and Sound Resource Management (2011), More Jobs, Less Pollution: Growing the Recycling Economy in the US http://www.tellus.org/publications/files/More_Jobs_Less_Pollution.pdf European Environmental Bureau (2014) Advancing Resource Efficiency in Europe http://www.eeb.org/EEB/?LinkServID=4E9BB68D-5056-B741-DBCCE36ABD15F02F 69 Advancing Resource Efficiency in Europe, EEB, http://www.eeb.org/EEB/?LinkServID=4E9BB68D-5056-B741-DBCCE36ABD15F02F 70 Green Alliance and WRAP (2015) Opportunities to tackle Britain’s labour market challenges through growth in the circular economy http://www.green-alliance.org.uk/resources/Opportunities%20to%20tackle%20Britain%27s%20Labour%20Market%20Challenges.pdf

http://www.green-alliance.org.uk/resources/Opportunities%20to%20tackle%20Britain%27s%20Labour%20Market%20Challenges.pdf


http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/linkup/documents/recycling-economic-development-review.pdf

http://www.foeeurope.org/publications/2010/More_Jobs_Less_Waste_Sep2010.pdf

http://www.tellus.org/publications/files/More_Jobs_Less_Pollution.pdf







WRAP’s research71 suggests that net job creation across employment types was likely in all their scenarios, with the middle-of –the-road ‘ambitious’ scenario 2 predicting around 5,500 net new jobs in Northern Ireland and that a ‘transformational’ circular economy (scenario 3) could deliver up to 13,000 net new jobs in Northern Ireland in a circular economy that employs up to 21,000 people in total (in the region). Their report will bear some detailed examination by officers of the Council to understand the modelling assumptions and the analysis behind their predictions for net jobs growth. It is worth noting that WRAP’s predictions to generate an additional 5,500 jobs would require a 70% recycling rate (all streams), a 20% remanufacturing rate, slight growth in reuse, modest growth in servitisation, and expansion of bio refining from fuel to bioplastics. To generate an additional 13,000 jobs would require an 85% recycling rate (all streams), 50% remanufacturing, significant growth in reuse, substantial growth in servitisation, expansion of bio refining to pharma and chemical sectors. Our view is that these latter top-end numbers need to be viewed with caution, not least as they are significantly ahead in target terms of where even the European Commission wants to take the circular economy over the next fifteen years. The 5,500 additional jobs for Northern Ireland is a more achievable figure in our view but even that will need significant improvement from the current baseline. Nevertheless, the potential impact is important - if any single employer were talking about investing in activity that might create say even 1,000 jobs, this would be headline news. In this case, it is likely to be many smaller initiatives needed to add up to a significant total. It makes it less easy to generate headlines, but the impact is no less significant if delivered effectively. We would suggest that it would be worth exploring further how many jobs a materials strategy/ circular economy model might generate for Belfast, so that the potential and value of the strategy is better understood. Section 2.2 has discussed the fact that there is certainly potential to further increase the recycling rate by improving the capture of materials. While it is not possible to definitively equate ‘x’ tonnes of additional materials captured to ‘y’ new jobs in Belfast, the key element for this Proposition Document is to confirm the potential for employment creation, particularly in the more accessible lower and medium skilled work, whilst looking ahead to the areas of research and innovation that can deliver higher-skilled jobs (for example, in eco-design, advanced manufacturing technology and engineering). This can give the Council confidence in the potential of a more circular approach to genuinely create opportunities that can benefit areas of the City in need of regeneration and employment boosts. It can also mandate the Council to engage more strongly with the Universities in terms of research, course development and even incubator enterprises, also utilising the potential of facilities such as NIACE.

71 WRAP (2015, unpublished), Job creation potential from increasing resource efficiency in Northern Ireland – referenced with permission before publication.


3.4.3 Financial impacts and benefits

The Council, through its Zero Waste Action Plan, boosted the household recycling rate from 32% to a very respectable 44% and, as a result, avoided £1.0m of landfill costs (£0.9m of this being Landfill Tax) over the plan period. However, looking at kerbside recycling and residual tonnages (2013/14) clearly there is recyclable and reusable material that is not being captured and remains in the residual waste stream. This is illustrated earlier in the report in Figure 2 (section 2.2) and is due to residents not fully utilising the service available. Capture rates remain less than 50% for all materials, meaning only a small percentage of the recyclable material is separated out for collection. Bearing in mind that recyclable material has a value as a secondary raw material, it is worth noting that residents are sending recyclable materials valued in the region of £1.35 million per annum to landfill (Table 3)72. Obviously this is only the price paid per tonne (and the price does fluctuate) and does not take into account the costs of collection but it is worth noting that the systems to collect these materials are already in place, they are simply being under-utilised at present. Therefore, the financial value of materials currently in the residual waste (and ultimately leaving the circular economy by being ‘thrown away’) is significant. In 2015 of the 152,000 tonnes of material anticipated to be managed by the Council, 62,800 will be captured for reprocessing. It is worth noting that at present some materials are captured further down the supply chain, from the residual waste at Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), and the value of this material is reduced as the quality is not as good. Materials like textiles and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) are less prominent in the waste stream, but can have high value, especially if they are captured in a reusable condition. Also, one of the biggest issues with WEEE is missed opportunities to maximise the value from the items which are captured: many treatment facilities simply shred WEEE. There is an opportunity to support innovation in this area to ensure that value from reprocessed WEEE is maximised. While there is certainly scope to achieve financial efficiencies by increasing the capture rate of materials, it is also likely that investment and ‘incubation’ will be required to realise the broader range of local benefits that could be delivered through the materials strategy.

72 Based on taking the lower end of the range market price for the uncaptured tonnage identified. For 22,539 tonnes identified in Table 3 a value of £1,345,549 is estimated at July 2015 prices – equating to a ‘basket price’ for the mixture of materials of around £59.70 per tonne


Table 3: Prices paid for separated materials

July 2015 prices Price Per tonne Uncaptured material in kerbside residual(tonnes)

Paper (mixed) £10 - £20 7,374

News and Pams £20 - £30

Cardboard £20 - £30 3,165

Plastic Bottles (mixed) £80 - £120 4,715

Steel Cans £52 - £65 80% of 2,040 (mixed cans)

Alu Cans £640 - £680 20% of 2,040 (mixed cans)

Glass (mixed) -£30 - -£15 2,845

Green glass £0 - £10

Clear glass £16 - £25

Brown glass £11 - £17

Textiles (banks) £220 - £300 2,400 (not from kerbside only)

3.4.4 Social impacts and benefits – the role of social value

Another underestimated aspect of value in material resources is the concept of social value. This is especially relevant for the development of social enterprise nowadays best identified with reuse and potentially with aspects of the circular economy such as repair. Research commissioned by SITA UK and carried out by RGR identified the potential for increased social value from resource management, for example:

“Third sector organisations, often working in partnership with the private sector, could increase their contract value share in local authority collection contracts under the provisions of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012. An increase from the current 0.25% share to a third sector average 2% share across all public services could deliver an additional £26M in social value annually”73

73 Georgeson (2013) Creating Social Value – report for SITA UK http://www.sita.co.uk/downloads/CreatingSocialValue-1210-web.pdf

http://www.sita.co.uk/downloads/CreatingSocialValue-1210-web.pdf


Potential clearly exists to take a social value approach to procurement of services in waste and resource management, and to use the enabling powers already available in Northern Ireland to integrate social value into procurement. The Social Value Interface, as illustrated in figure 8, clearly shows the inter relationships that can be developed to increase social value. Figure 9: Social Value Interface74

Private Sector

Third

Secto

rPu

blic

Se

cto

r

Provision of public servicesEthical business practicesCommunity engagement

CSRPhilanthropyLandfill Communities Fund

PPP partnershipsCompetitive sourcingValue for money

Gaps in public service delivery

Serving community needs

Not for profit business model

Social Value

Demand for efficiency

Competitive tendering

Delivery of social outcomes

Service Level Agreements

3.4.5 Summary of Potential Benefits of the proposed strategy

The overall benefits of initiating materials management actions/initiatives for even just the ‘waste’ and recyclable materials that Belfast City Council is responsible for are not insubstantial. Such an approach will bring about employment opportunities and financial benefits, as well as social and environmental. This is summarised in Table 4.

74 Reference as above


Table 4: Summary of potential benefits

Examples of potential actions/initiatives

Potential Benefits

Economic including employment and financial

Social including health and wellbeing

Environmental including existing and potential targets

Improved participation in current recycling and reuse services

Enhanced focus on priority resource streams

Standard inclusion of social value in public procurement

Increased availability of mid-level training opportunities

Generation of jobs through repair/reuse opportunities

Increased energy provision through greentech sector

Supporting industrial symbiosis & access to secondary materials

Further development of smart systems/ smart cities initiatives

Increased collaboration with knowledge leaders

Integration of latest R&D

Key:

Direct Benefit Indirect Benefit

3.5. Funding and Next Steps towards a Strategy With the reminder that this Proposition Document is not the strategy itself but an assembly of information designed to provide the building blocks for the Strategy, it is envisaged that a new materials focused strategy will have several key elements to it that have both costs and potential income associated with them. To illustrate this, Table 5 seeks to mark out possible sources of cost and revenue:


Table 5: Elements of a Material Strategy - costs and sources of income

Strategy element

Costs Possible Income/Investment

Core recycling collection from households

Usual costs associated with collection schemes, sorting and presentation of materials to market

Sale of recyclates – sensitive to quality with longer term consistency in income coming from higher quality recyclate

Charges for green and/or bulky waste collections

Horizon 2020 for innovation

EU Funds (CEP, LIFE, ERDF, Peace IV)

Disposal Gate fees to landfill and incineration

Electricity / gas

Industrial Symbiosis initiatives

R&D, marketing, inward investment costs

Business rates

Dividend from any potential joint ventures/investments



Green Investment Bank

Materials market development initiatives

R&D, support to WRAP Business rates

Dividend from potential joint ventures/investments



Reuse and repair programmes

R&D, property – start-up costs

Training and employability resource streams

EU Funds (as noted)


Remanufacturing initiatives

R&D, links to Universities programmes, Grant Aid for manufacturers

Business rates

Dividend from potential joint ventures/investments


EU Funds (as noted)

Green Investment Bank

We encourage the Council to use this Table as a template for internal generation of thoughts on further sources of cost and income. We recognise that, with the financial constraints the Council faces, the development of new sources of financial support for innovative projects and potential investments needs continuous work and will be an integral work stream.


In order to move this initiative forward we feel it is important that the Council now:

1. Establish which officer or unit is best placed to lead on development and delivery of Belfast’s materials strategy;

2. Formally establish a working group of internal stakeholders to agree the vision and

shape of the strategy, and oversee its development and delivery. And, ideally;

3. Agree on a meaningful name which suitably represents the aspirations and objectives of the strategy (we have already suggested Resourceful Belfast).

In terms of next steps for the proposed strategy itself, we would recommend the following broad actions and areas of focus (it should be noted that these actions rely on the involvement and collaboration of a wide range of stakeholders, and it will likely be necessary to establish an internal/external group to successfully deliver the strategy):

a. Be clear which material streams are being targeted by the strategy in the short,

medium and longer term; if this were decided on the basis of which materials can

be most easily ‘controlled’ and for which management data exists, then it might

make sense to start with household/ municipal solid waste followed by commercial

and industrial waste before focusing on the supply of raw materials and products

being ‘pulled’ into the city;

b. Consider enhanced targeting of priority material streams and whether the current

collection systems can accommodate this, and if not, identify what needs to be

done (and at what cost);

c. Review existing data and ensure it is sound in terms of supporting appropriate

targets and metrics moving forward;

d. Develop a clear understanding of public interest in reuse/repair and consider

whether this needs to be tested further in light of the overall aims of the proposed

strategy – if reuse is to be a priority (as we consider it should, in terms of

employment and the waste hierarchy) then some work may be needed to promote

the value of reused goods to the public;

e. Review the levels of investment made by BCC in terms of employment/job

creation/training to allow for benchmarking as the strategy develops and enable

better understanding of value added and payback periods;

f. Establish what has been done to date in Belfast in terms of quantifying social value,

and review the methodology for doing this in the context of the demands for social

value placed in public procurement rules;

g. Hold informal sessions with groups of stakeholders to test their ongoing interest

and appetite: industry, reprocessors, social sector, producers, etc., as part of

creating interest and engagement pre-writing of a strategy. This will lead to a fuller


consultation once the key elements of the proposed strategy have been

developed;

h. Monitor EU developments closely both in policy and funding;

i. Appetite / interest from Economic Development and Corporate Policy will be

critical – suggest some site visits / direct dialogue with some of the potential new

stakeholders and projects that are starting to deliver circular economy;

j. Ensure that plans developed are meaningful and realistic, and potentially there is a

focus on low cost/no cost initiatives in the first instance (for example consider the

potential for a market development exercise with WRAP - maybe a small network

of repair shops/workshops specifically located in key Wards);

k. Ensure the governance is clear and agreed by all; a broadly encompassing strategy

such as this needs complete buy-in from all and clear lines of accountability;

l. Ensure that elected Members are engaged effectively in order to achieve political

understanding of the strategy’s potential and buy-in to its delivery; consider the

role of Councillor champions to drive the strategy forward on a local level.


Section 4: Acknowledgements We are grateful to Belfast City Council for the opportunity to work together on this project, and in particular thanks go to Marcus Campbell and Tim Walker of the City Council’s Waste Management Service for their support and oversight of the project. Members and Officers of the Council were generous of their time for interviews and a workshop session which were invaluable in the development of the report.

Section 5: Declaration of interests In relation to previous work and activities undertaken by the authors and utilised in the report, as well as present interests that have been drawn upon in the production of the report or relevant for transparency, we declare the following interests: Ray Georgeson and Jane Beasley – co-authors of FoE Europe report Gone to Waste (2009); European Environmental Bureau report Advancing Resource Efficiency in Europe (2014). Ray Georgeson – former policy director of Waste and Resources Action Programme; current Chief Executive of Resource Association; current non-executive director of Bryson Recycling Ltd; current member of Green Alliance and their Circular Economy Task Force; author of SITA UK report Creating Social Value (2013). Dr Jane Beasley PhD MCIWM FRSA Ray Georgeson MBE MCIWM FRSA February 2016


Appendix 1: The Circular Economy Defined The concept of the circular economy has been developed over many decades and in recent times has been revived, reinterpreted and is now well established. In essence, the combination of greater intensity and resourcefulness in the utilisation of ‘technical’ and ‘biological’ materials (as comprehensively described by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation) provides the vision from within which the drive for developing a new materials strategy could be derived.

The Circular Economy Butterfly Diagram: value recovery for biological and technical

materials75. Credit: Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Whilst it is accepted that recycling is regarded as an ‘outer loop’ in the successful operation of a circular economy, it is nevertheless still a critical and integral element; one which business and the public can relate to more readily and still an area where much potential exists. Improving existing recycling performance would remain a foundation for the materials strategy, but with a significant new impetus towards elements of the circular economy, such as reuse, repair and remanufacturing. We take as our inspiration for the assembly of this document the understanding that materials strategy development is integrated into the vision for a circular economy, and we offer a version of that vision which we believe captures this desire:

75 Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2012) Towards the Circular Economy – Report Vol.1 http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/circular-economy/interactive-system-diagram

http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/circular-economy/interactive-system-diagram


Vision for the circular economy “The vision: a smarter, more regenerative and restorative way to create, use and dispose of products that designs out waste from this cycle. An alternative to the ‘take, make and dispose’ model that predominates today, the circular economy is an old concept that is steadily gaining ground among influential entities and corporations.” J Walter Thompson (2014)76

76 JWT Intelligence (2014) Trend Report – the Circular Economy https://www.jwtintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/F_JWT_The-Circular-Economy.06.20.14.pdf

https://www.jwtintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/F_JWT_The-Circular-Economy.06.20.14.pdf

https://www.jwtintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/F_JWT_The-Circular-Economy.06.20.14.pdf


Appendix 2: Methodology

The methodology for the production of this Proposition Document was driven by the clear direction in the brief from Belfast City Council (BCC). It focused on: the utilisation of existing data sources for materials flow and composition, with further analysis and interrogation of the data to support predictions and identify opportunities; interviews with a broad departmental cross-section of officers of the Council and several elected members; and, drawing on our own lengthy experience in the sector on research, policy and strategy for resources market development, secondary materials management, circular economy and manufacturing. Key elements of our methodology, reflecting the direction in the brief, are summarised as follows: a. Capture and structure the thinking of BCC Senior Management and staff in relation to an agreed overall vision for the strategy and their proposals as to its objectives and approach Engagement with a broad cross-section of interests across Belfast City Council was a critical element to this project. This was done in a combination of a key induction meeting with the Head of Waste Management Tim Walker and members of his team, who then assisted in ensuring that all key internal stakeholders were invited to be interviewed. Securing involvement from stakeholders is the first stage to generating the necessary buy-in for the proposed strategy. We then conducted a two-day interview round where we met with several interested elected Members from across the political spectrum in Belfast and a wide range of City Council officers from Economic Development, European Unit, Waste Management, Cleansing Services, Estates (including the North Foreshore Managers), Corporate Planning and Policy, Environmental Health, Corporate Procurement and Sustainable Development. In addition, we interviewed the Chief Executive of arc21 (who is also President of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management this year) and his Policy Officer. b. Detail any information and research which might either challenge or support the initial BCC thinking and assumptions. b 1. Wider literature review We have used our experience and track-record to gather together a breadth of knowledge and opinion on a materials management approach at a local level, highlighting key issues in relation to moving towards a more circular business model and also the role and potential impact of the greentech sector. Whilst the strategic direction being considered is not new, it is a significant change of direction for local government in their role as waste managers. Therefore, presenting research which challenges or validates the initial thinking is an essential part of the process to ensure a viable and beneficial Strategy.


b 2. Estimating material flows and establishing a baseline for Belfast Numerous data sources were used to estimate material flows in Belfast. Official statistics produced by the Department for Environment Northern Ireland (DOENI) provide reliable and up-to-date datasets on local authority managed waste77. More detailed information on waste flows is available through WasteDataFlow78. Public datasets were supplemented by Belfast City Council’s own data, including the results of a two phase waste composition study and mass-balance data. Data on Commercial and Industrial (C&I) waste is notoriously problematic. The most recent study of C&I waste in Northern Ireland is WRAP’s 2011 report, Northern Ireland Commercial & Industrial (C&I) Waste Estimates79. This presents survey-based estimates for 2009, which is not ideal given that they are six years old and relating to a period during an economic downturn. The survey was voluntary, which may have introduced some bias if companies with better environmental credentials were more willing to participate. Also the findings were based on a visual assessment of the waste streams taken on one day, which does not account for seasonal variations. Additionally, the report did not use primary data collected in Northern Ireland, but applied data collected in England to similar businesses in NI in order to arrive at an estimate. Despite the weaknesses, the 2009 survey remains the most recent comprehensive estimate for C&I waste in Northern Ireland and so has been used in this report. c. Take into consideration the current status and likely direction of European policy on the circular economy and related factors. c 1. Review of EU policy (and potential future policy) in terms of longer term direction of travel We have used our current working relationships in Brussels and Defra (who continue to negotiate the UK position) to provide an up to date assessment of current thinking on the EU Circular Economy package as it is evolving. d. Identify comparable European cities which are on a similar journey and whom Belfast might network with and use to inform its own course. d 1. Case study development We have identified a number of comparable European cities that are on a similar journey in terms of materials management and their direction of travel/long term vision. However, we acknowledge that this is not as straight forward as it appears and have endeavoured to take into consideration the size of Belfast (its population is around 330,000 following local government reform), its geographical location (in terms of it being a port, on an island some distance from many markets), and its economic profile, to ensure that case studies are directly

77 http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/waste-home/municipal_data_reporting.htm 78 http://www.wastedataflow.org/ 79 http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/northern_ireland_ci_waste_estimates_2009_v4_2.pdf

http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/waste-home/municipal_data_reporting.htm

http://www.wastedataflow.org/

http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/northern_ireland_ci_waste_estimates_2009_v4_2.pdf


relevant and applicable. We have accessed networks such as Zero Waste Europe as well as examples from within the United Kingdom. We have also provided case studies for larger cities and regions, to act as inspiration and noting that often much of the activity is still comparable and relevant. We examined Belfast’s existing twin cities and ‘benchmarking’ cities and included a case study on the Liverpool City Region; there was little offered in terms of new thinking on waste and resources from the other cities that would assist with this report at this time. e. Discuss the content and levels of success of any strategies or models with similar aims, which may exist for other local government or regional government authorities in the UK or Europe. e 1. Critical review of applicable strategies/models for a materials strategy We have used our current knowledge to summarise some lessons that can be learned from others seeking to devise new strategies and approaches to materials, including Liverpool City Region. In addition, the more forward looking strategic direction being taken in Wales and Scotland has led to some interesting approaches being considered; some of the more pertinent programmes/ projects have been discussed in this report, notably those from Flanders and Scotland. f. Discuss the potential range of strategy partners and stakeholders, and their possible roles. f 1. Mapping of potential strategy partners and stakeholders The range of potential strategy partners and stakeholders is diverse and can present a fairly complex picture. It includes: environmental, economic and social policy and decision makers on a local, regional, national and European level; trade bodies and associations; waste producers; waste managers; regulators; designers; energy sector etc. In considering the different roles and responsibilities and the impact and influence of strategy partners and stakeholders, we have presented this diagrammatically in an attempt to provide clarity. g. Consider how the materials strategy might best align with or complement relevant regional strategies or policies. g 1. Alignment with other policies and strategies We will draw out the key issues that need to be considered in terms of aligning the aims, objectives and general direction of the materials strategy with relevant existing strategies and policies. Unlike traditional waste strategies (which served to provide a more linear management solution to the ‘problem’ of waste) materials strategies cannot be considered in isolation as they encompass and impact upon much wider issues embedded within a more circular way of thinking, focusing on materials management in the broadest sense. Therefore, economic, regulatory, energy and social based policies need to be considered, and the net needs to be thrown much broader than the ‘local’ region, to encompass policies directly across the border in the Republic of Ireland, and - as historically there has been flow of materials to Scotland - relevant strategies in the rest of the UK.


h. Suggest suitable governance models for overseeing the implementation of the strategy and delivering its objectives. h 1. Options for Governance Drawing from good practice and experience of strategic partnership projects in England, we have considered options available in terms of governance models and their applicability for Belfast in delivering a materials strategy. i. Discuss the likely social, economic and environmental impacts (positive and negative) which might realistically be brought about through the materials strategy. i 1. Social, Economic and Environmental Impacts Using research undertaken by organisations such as WRAP and Green Alliance, and accepting that assumptions have to be made, we have considered and discussed the potential impacts from a social, economic and environmental perspective of implementing a materials strategy. This includes indicators such as value of secondary materials and employment opportunities. j. Identify potential sources of funding for the delivery of the strategy or elements within it. j 1. Funding Routes Funding options at EU, national and local level have been reviewed to support delivery of the strategy or even specific aspects of the strategy, noting that EU funding mechanisms may have particular potential here. k. Identify next steps to progress development of the strategy k 1. Discussion workshop Using the insight gathered in the interview process and the research compiled, we shared a draft report and key considerations at a workshop held in Belfast on 18th August 2015. Following the further feedback at this workshop, the final report was completed reflecting on new information and insights gathered at the event. k 2. Identify next steps to progress strategy development

We conclude with identification of the next steps to assist in the progress of the materials strategy. Our aim is to keep these at a high level, designed to indicate key work needed, any gaps in data or research or stakeholder involvement as well as possible sources of further support.


Appendix 3: Glossary of Terms Capture Rate: The proportion of a recyclable waste material which is actually being collected for recycling. For example, if 5 tonnes of waste paper is recycled out of a total of 25 tonnes discarded, the relevant capture rate is 20%. Circular economy (CE): Defined in more detail in appendix 1, but simply referring to a move away from a ‘make, use, dispose’ model, to one where resources and materials are retained in use for as long as possible, the maximum value is extracted from them whilst in use, and then products and materials are recovered and regenerated at the end of their useful life. Commercial and Industrial Waste (C&I): Waste produced from factories, trade, business, sport, recreation or entertainment. Energy from waste (EfW): Conversion of waste materials into useable heat, electricity, or fuel through a variety of processes. Household waste: Includes materials collected directly from households (kerbside collections) or taken to collection points or collected from households by private and voluntary organisations. Industrial symbiosis: Broadly defined as the sharing of services, utility, and by-product resources among industries in order to add value, reduce costs and improve the environment. Mass Balance Data: Sometimes referred to as material balance, and is a way of accounting for material entering and leaving a system. It quantifies the flows of material. Materials Management: Planning, organising and controlling the cost, demand and flow of materials through an organisation (city in this case). Materials Recovery Facility (MRF): A specialised facility that receives recyclable materials in order to separate them further & prepare them for marketing to end-user manufacturers. This differs to a Residual MRF where the recyclables are still mixed in with the general waste and need to be extracted prior to marketing to end users. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW): Waste from all households and any commercial premises collected by or on behalf of Belfast City Council. Residual waste: Waste that is not prepared for reuse, recycled or composted and is destined for treatment/disposal. Secondary materials: A material that has already been used once and is to be recycled and used again.


Smart Cities: Use of technology to enhance quality, performance and use of urban systems and services. TEEP: Refers to the Waste Framework Directive requirement that, in order to maintain optimum quality, waste materials must each be collected (streamed) separately from any other materials where technically, economically and environmentally practicable. Where Local Authorities are not collecting materials separately they must undertake a TEEP assessment to determine whether this is justified. WasteDataFlow: Web based system for local authority collected municipal waste data reporting by UK local authorities to government. Waste composition: Categorisation of waste into specific material type or groups. Waste/resource hierarchy: A defined set of priorities for more efficient use of resources, from least preferable (such as disposal), to most preferable (prevention of waste). Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE): Large and small domestic appliances, cathode ray tubes, fluorescent tubes and other light bulbs and fridges and freezers.


Appendix 4: Zero Waste Scotland programme summary


Appendix 5: Circular Economy initiatives supported or implemented by Belfast City Council

ReNEW The Council had been a partner in the European ReNEW (Resource innovation Network for European Waste) project. ReNEW represents a network of organisations working together to support the development and commercialisation of viable new technologies which can recover valuable nutrients and chemicals from low value waste materials. ReNEW is funded by INTERREG IVB and supports the development of the emerging circular economy. Involvement in the project has increased the Council’s understanding of the opportunities which are presented by the circular economy model. You can find more information about ReNEW at: http://www.renew-network.eu/ As a result, the Council is now developing its own strategy to support and stimulate circular solutions in Belfast’s local economy, to accommodate and ultimately reduce the City’s waste.

Stitch & Style A fashion event that was designed to make people think twice about throwing away their clothes. The event comprised repair and upcycling workshops, a mini-marketplace selling locally made recycled crafts and a fashion show featuring second-hand and recycled clothes. The first event was such a success that 3 more Stitch and Style events were run in the subsequent 12 months. Glass bottle cinema A classic film screened at a cinema where the price of admission was a glass bottle or jar and was accompanied by a pre-film talk about the value of recycling and better resource management. East Belfast Mission reuse scheme The council has dedicated containers at each of its household recycling centres to accept reusable items such as furniture, toys and bicycles. These items are collected by East Belfast Mission to be refurbished as necessary and sold through its network of Re:Store shops. Tools for Solidarity Working with the local charity Tools for Solidarity the Council collects old hand tools at Belfast City Council’s Household Recycling Centres. These tools are repaired and then given to craftsmen in the Developing countries.

http://www.renew-network.eu/


Bryson Recycling In 2007 Bryson, with support from Belfast City Council, opened Arc Direct which sold refurbished white goods. In 2012 Belfast City Council together with their contractors Bryson Recycling introduced a new kerbside sort system within the inner city to increase the range, quantity and quality of materials recycled within the City. Mattresses The council has entered a contract to supply a local social enterprise, USEL (Ulster Supported Employment Ltd - usel.co.uk), with discarded mattresses. USEL provides paid employment for people with disabilities, making mattresses and other products. The 3,000 mattresses which the council capture each year will provide the company with a significant amount of usable secondary materials. USEL’s insurance premium rocketed when its insurer was informed of this change in their operations (now recycling as well as manufacturing), putting the whole initiative at risk. Although they were able to switch to a more affordable insurance provider, this highlights the kind of unexpected barrier which might arise in the transition to a more circular economy. Extern The Council works with the charity Extern who offer training and support services to individuals from a range of disadvantaged backgrounds including the homeless, ex-offenders, people with mental health issues and individuals with learning difficulties. Extern refurbish and resell or recycle computers, mobile phones, monitors and ink cartridges. This provides work experience and training opportunities while helping to fund the charity. Young Persons Employment Initiative (YPEI) Since 2012, Waste Management have accommodated a total of 11 YPEI placements at HRC’s. The initiative aims to provide young people (aged 16-24 years) with skills and experience to help them obtain paid employment. Business Improvements Through Environmental Solutions (BITES) BITES is designed to help businesses reduce their waste and energy usage and costs, thereby boosting profits and helping the environment. The programme was initially developed by the Waste Management Service and then offered through the Economic Development Unit. Following its success helping dozens of businesses in Belfast, it was also delivered in other district council areas.


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