WRAP offers more assistance to recyclers

The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) announced this week a range of new initiatives and finance aimed at increasing regional recycling capability.

WRAP, which is backed by the government, said that it had furthered business expansion throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland so that it can provide small and medium-sized recycling firms with more free assistance and guidance.

The director of market development at WRAP, Marcus Gover, said that providing the recycling companies with the expertise necessary for viable businesses is essential in promoting a first-rate home recycling business and small companies will be able to find advice locally because of the bigger groups.

In parallel, the Scottish government called for bids from relevant companies for new recycling plants and will inject £5m from its capital grant programme, run by WRAP, which can finance a maximum of 30 percent of a recycling station in Scotland

Richard Lochhead, the Scottish environment secretary said a facility in Scotland should increase home recycling and create business opportunities and more employment.

It would also reduce the waste being used for landfill.

The director of WRAP in Scotland, Iain Gulland, said that increasing home recycling would also reduce the custom of sending material to China for recycling.

He commented that, currently, 15,000 tonnes of plastic used in the home is all that is recycled in Scotland, the largest amount being sent to Asia to be processed.

The finance package will totally change the way Scotland handles plastic waste with better processing plants.

WRAP said that it is making close to £200,000 available as grants to reprocessing companies in the West Midlands to build greater capacity.

Businesses can have a maximum of 50 per cent of capital costs for collecting and reprocessing commercial waste from the area.