Resourcing the Future 2016 to Debate Brexit : Conference: What the EU Circular Economy Package Could Mean for UK

UK trade associations, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), the Environmental Services Association (ESA) and the Resource Association (RA), are to hold a two day event to explore what the Circular Economy means for the UK waste industry.

This year’s Resourcing the Future 2016 conference, which takes place 14-15 June at the The Royal College of Surgeons in London, will open with a Keynote Address from Resource & Environmental Management Minister Rory Stewart, followed by a ‘Question Time’ style debate which poses the big question of whether the forward looking EU Circular Economy Action Plan can really deliver.

“The UK Government has set out its desired option of remaining in Europe and if the referendum result supports this, the EU Circular Economy package will shape our industry for the next decade and more,” explained CIWM chief executive Steve Lee.

“With important changes being proposed, including higher recycling and landfill diversion targets, new Extended Producer Responsibility scheme requirements, and a stronger focus on biowaste, this event provides a chance to explore what the package means for the UK and how we can work collectively to deliver on its ambitions,” he added.

The rest of the two-day programme will examine the strategic and practical implications for the UK, with sessions focused on what ‘tools’ and incentives will be needed to drive behaviour change and performance.

Topics include the future role of Producer Responsibility and EPR in supporting resource efficiency and recycling both at the design end of the chain and at the point of disposal, economic incentives and other potential game changers such as ‘collection consistency’ , and food waste.

According to the organisers, with the conference taking place just one week before the referendum, a lively exchange of views is expected in the closing debate, which will explore how important EU membership is for UK environmental policy and legislation, what the implications of a ‘Brexit’ might be, and how can the industry prepare itself.

Find out more about Resourcing the Future 2016 HERE

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