Kent, England
Contact info
Telephone:
0300 041 2844
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Accreditations
Upcycle Your Waste is a project dedicated to accelerating the adoption by SMEs of circular business cases that transform company waste flows into resources. UYW specifically targets the adoption of circular solutions for company waste at local level, to combine resource efficiency with local economic development while avoiding transportation of waste. The project targets 6 specific business districts with diverse companies and waste flows in Den Haag (NL), Norwich (UK), Oostende (BE), IJmond (NL), Roubaix (FR) and Kent (UK). On each of these sites, the partners have set up a pilot project with SMEs to introduce solutions for the collective upcycling of their combined waste streams. Upcycling in the context of this project means transforming waste(d) materials, parts or materials into secondary resources as products, parts or materials of at least equal and preferably better technical, economical and societal quality, without burdening people and the environment with hazardous and harmful substances. This will, in turn add value and reduce the use of virgin materials in the process.
Engagement & Recruitment of SMEs with Business Support
We are actively looking to recruit businesses to participate in upcycling/circular waste pilot activities in Kent. Our business support here includes; • Building a growing library of waste examples that interested parties can visit, discuss and link in with opportunities in their local area - either through waste availability or collection and reuse of materials • Providng support to SMEs on compliance with regards to waste legislation (LA/BID level) • Continued engagement with SMEs including providing advice and support to help them overcome barriers to upcycling • Supporting capacity building and signposting to training for SMEs’ circular waste processing including directing businesses towards UYW Academy courses here; https://academy.upcycleyourwaste.com/ • Supporting the development of local guidance for accelerating the adoption of circular business cases. Please register your interest by emailing lowcarbon@kent.gov.uk.
Networking Events, Worshops & Knowledge Sharing
We will be running a series of in-person events from September 2022 - March 2023 to help inform businesses with practical case studies, showcase best practice, network with industry peers and explore opportunities for industrial symbosis with a view to meeting potential buyers and suppliers in the marketplace. Please register your interest by emailing lowcarbon@kent.gov.uk.
Technical Delivery of Pilot Programmes
The pilots will focus on organising and supporting local SMEs to collectively procure and implement services for upcycling of their waste streams (waste as a resource) to replace existing non-circular practices (landfill, incineration, re-/down cycling). Participation in the pilots and all related activities will be free and open to all SMEs, both at the start and during the pilot. The solutions we expect to attract from the market are not ‘standard’ waste collection and treatment services. We aim and expect to generate innovative solutions from diverse suppliers with an upcycling perspective, mainly outside the ‘traditional’ waste management industry e.g. a company collecting all textile waste from an area to produce new fabrics. This means that our procurement will be designed with the opportunities for these innovative (smaller) enterprises in mind. It will also consider the likely scenario that multiple companies offer complimentary solutions for the various predominant waste streams in a pilot area. These pilots will demonstrate how SMEs can be enabled to adopt circular business cases by building on collective analysis of waste streams, procurement and contracting of waste management services at the business area level. The county is home to businesses operating in many sectors which are strategically important to the local economy, as well as the wider regional economy.
