This is what delegates at major environmental event were told
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Delegates at a major environmental event in Northern Ireland have been told that better resource efficiency could be a 'secret weapon' in the fight against climate change.
It would appear that we are looking here, yet again, at another reinvention of the wheel. It is hardly rocket science that better waste management, resource management, and waste reduction will go along way to reduce environmental damage.
Speaking at WRAP Northern Ireland's first annual meeting recently, the organization's chief executive Liz Goodwin pointed to new research commissioned by WRAP that shows that making better use of our natural resources could contribute as much as 10% of the target reduction in UK domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
The research indicates that resource efficiency could prove to be a 'secret weapon' against climate change as it allows immediate action to meet pressing and challenging targets. From an economic perspective, resource efficiency can also offer £6.4 billion savings a year to UK businesses.
Liz Goodwin said: "WRAP's research shows the significant impact that resource efficiency could have on the environment and the economy. Today we have highlighted the important role that businesses in Northern Ireland have in contributing to combating climate change, through making better use of natural resources.
"For example, last year construction projects worth more £4 billion included requirements to cut waste going to landfill.
"Of the Northern Ireland signatories that WRAP has worked with so far, they are able to influence £899 million of projects where the commitment can make significant gains in resource efficiency which will impact on the construction supply chain in Northern Ireland.
"This will bring increased diversion from landfill, increased recycling and recovery of materials and provide the potential for economic growth and increased employment."
Environment Minister Edwin Poots also highlighted the opportunities that recycling can offer the Northern Ireland economy.
He said: "The Northern Ireland Waste Management Strategy recognized that a major obstacle to increasing levels of recycling and resource recovery in Northern Ireland is the lack of local markets for recovered materials, compost and products containing recycled material.
"Establishing sustained demand for these products is the most effective means of stimulating the market. Recycling offers many new business opportunities for the Northern Ireland economy.
"I am a great believer that the environment and the economy do not need to be competitors. They can be partners helping us to build a stronger and better and more sustainable Northern Ireland."
This is not just a case for Northern Ireland but for the entire UK and the rest of the developed world where this is not as yet being implemented.
The minister stated that recycling would offer business opportunities for Ulster (Northern Ireland) and it certainly would, and also for the rest of the British economy, if we but would do the recycling in this country.
Alas, we do not do that. We just have the recyclables collected, sorted and then shipped to China where they may, or may not, as the case may be, actually get reprocessed into new products.
The reason I am saying “may, or may not” is the fact that much of the stuff we are sending abroad is not being recycled but just shoved into landfill sites in those countries it is being sent to.
While we have some companies that recycle waste in this country, such as glass into counter tops, paving and even bricks, and also some that recycle plastic bottles and other plastic into new products, the truth is that most of the material collected goes abroad.
We have, for instance, over ten million metric tons of building lumber go into landfill in Britain every year and I am sure an entire industry could be created alone around that to recycle that wood into something.
Keep recycling in this country and don't outsource it. That is the way to create some real green jobs at home.
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