The Environment Agency and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) have this month announced that five waste streams have been selected for review in the second year of the Waste Protocols Project (2007/2008). The project is a joint venture between WRAP and the Agency and was launched in May 2006. It is funded by the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) programme, which is run by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). It examines the current environmental risk posed by certain types of waste, and through the development of protocols for the selected waste streams, it is hoped that agreed standards can be reached for the treating and handling of particular types of waste.
The five waste streams selected for review are:
Ten different wastes were the focus of the first year of the project, which included flat glass from windows and windscreens, rubber crumb and shred from old tyres and plastics from construction and demolition projects.
WRAP's director of organics Dr Richard Swannell said, "Earlier this year we produced the first quality protocol for compost, which allowed producers to create a certain type of compost which is no longer classed as a waste. This first protocol is a testament to what is achievable through the collaborative working approach shown by the Agency, WRAP, business and industry. The five wastes we have announced today will go some way in helping reduce the amount of waste disposed in landfills every year, as well as helping to create valuable products."
