As part of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) £20-million GovTech Catalyst fund, the Government are awarding £1 million funding to two UK companies.
Anthesis, a digital specialist and Topolytics, waste analytics, have been chosen to build prototypes for the UK's first comprehensive digital waste tracking system. The prototypes will include all international waste shipments, and it is hoped the new system will provide more effective tracking of waste from shipment through to final destination.
Waste crimes cost the UK economy around £600 million every year, with current systems for tracking waste labelled as outdated.
An independent review led by Lizzie Noel and an advisory panel gave recommendations for a strategic approach to serious and organised waste crime. They found that the absence of digital record keeping can be abused by criminals who mislabel waste to avoid landfill tax or illegally export it.
The Environment Bill recently introduced to Parliament, included compulsory electronic tracking of waste to target illegal movements of waste. It has also previously been part of the DEFRA publication, Our waste, our resources: a strategy for England.
Environment Minister, Rebecca Pow said:
"Waste crime causes economic, environmental and social harm in every community it blights. That's why our transformative Environmental Bill will be a driving force for change – improving the way we manage our waste by creating powers to introduce an electronic waste tracking system."
Minister for Implementation, Simon Hart also commented:
"Cutting down on waste is a top concern for the public, so I'm delighted to see these innovative proposals moving forward. They're a great example of why we're investing in the GovTech Catalyst programme to improve public services and solve some of society's biggest challenges."
Anthesis plans to use QR codes on mobile devices to record the ID of waste consignments uploaded to their "Vastum" Blockchain system in order to eliminate errors. Alternatively, Topolytics plans to use data from devices including apps and sensors on waste containers or vehicles.
The prototypes being made by Anthesis and Topolytics could be available for testing within the next 12 months.
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