COMMENT
Something to shout about H
aving just returned from the throng of the Birmingham NEC last week (at the time of writing), I can vouch that RWM, the annual Recycling & Waste Management
show, hasn’t lost any of its green-tinged buzz. It is still the place to do business. We may still be clawing our way out of a recession, but plenty of deals were being struck at the event – on some of the stands, ‘sold’ signs were even going up on machinery and vehi- cles. It was great to witness such positivity. Of course, not every exhibitor has a good show, but the majority I spoke to reported that while visitor numbers seemed down compared to previous years, the quality of enquiries was high. In such a competitive marketplace, good, strong sales leads are what matters. We can’t forget these are challenging times though and what will become increasingly important in the coming months, especially with the spending review round the cor- ner, is how to extract best value for money – in other words, more from less. Councils in particular will come under fierce pressure to maintain levels of service but with less resources to play with.
Many exhibitors are now actively pondering what Defra’s waste review will throw up, and whether the Government will realise that you can’t expect to storm ahead and hit every environmental target without adequate support in place. Especially when the industry faces an estimated £1B increase in waste disposal costs by 2014-15. There are particular concerns around the localism agenda and whether handing power back to the community will just result in more nimbyism. I hear stories of councils fighting among themselves in waste partnerships not to be the one that gets the new treatment plant built on their patch. New builds are not a vote winner, especially when they come with a guaranteed waste stream supply for 25 years. So yes, there are plenty of hurdles – but there always will be. What is important is that we don’t lose sight of the bigger picture; that as long as there is waste we need to treat it in the most sustainable manner. And RWM remains a great platform where manufacturers and suppliers can shout about the tech- nology and expertise with which to achieve this.
Maxine Perella, Editor
4 Local Authority Waste & Recycling October 2010
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