Independent environmental consultancy business Resource Futures has launched a new data intelligence service, ResourceData, to assist those grappling with TEEP requirements.
ResourceData, revealed yesterday (17 June), is a self-developed online application providing the latest information about useful recoverable waste materials, or ‘secondary resources’, available across the UK in terms of material type, volume, source and management.
This news follows the announcements by Defra that it will be ‘stepping back’ on its waste policy work, and that it does not intend to publish guidance on when it is ‘technically, environmentally and economically practicable’ (TEEP) to require separate collections, as had previously been expected (although draft guidance was recently released after a freedom of information request).
ResourceData adds to the number of tools available to local authorities looking to understand their obligations under the Waste Regulations, after the ‘Waste Regulations Route Map’ was published recently by a working group headed by WRAP, and the Resource Association launched the Recycling Quality Information Point.
The programme is an open access online service. Visitors register to use it at http://www.resourcedata.co.uk and can then search the service by sector, material or region. Detailed data analysis is available for the UK nations, English regions and local authorities, including indicative forecasts for futures market volumes and costs.
Providing necessary information for a circular economy
To create ResourceData, Resource Futures has fused various datasets to provide an indication of future market revenues, disposal costs and the energy and environmental impacts of managing wastes. It is uniquely based on Geographical Information Systems (GIS) mapping software provided from Google. The application provides collection service type, performance and waste composition information, which is essential for all of TEEP assessments. Details of the recycling service and the capture of materials for recycling are provided for every local authority in the country.
The potential wealth of the secondary materials market is set to grow as resource scarcity sets in. Resource Futures has forecasted that by 2020 around 24 million tonnes of paper and card, metal, glass, plastic and textiles could be recycled, which would be worth £3.1 billion at today’s prices.
The need for knowledge as to where these materials are being produced and likely volumes and costs are a determining factor in developing the circular economy in the UK.
Set within the wider context of the circular economy, the role and value of secondary materials data is developing a pivotal role in commercial decision making; particularly for reprocessors, manufacturers and designers. To support this emerging need, the application also provides forecasts on market growth to inform long term investment and procurement risks, and includes Commercial and Industrial (C&I) waste data based on the most recent available estimates.
The ‘next big thing’ to unlock economic innovation
Commenting on the launch of ResourceData, Sam Reeve, Operations Director at Resource Futures, said: “We have been working with materials data in the resource efficiency market for many years, collecting primary data and providing expert analysis. As a result, we felt that our industry needed a robust online information source that provided an initial level of accessibility and comparison.
“This is the right time to launch ResourceData. Last month, WRAP published the TEEP roadmap to guide local authorities through the process of making a TEEP assessment. The need for robust and accurate data is a key requirement in being able to conduct a credible review. Simply put: ResourceData will enable us to assist local authorities in ensuring the arisings and composition data they use will stand up to scrutiny. All UK authorities are required to prove that their recycling services maximise the capture of materials and achieve the best forms of recycling.
“Furthermore, there is a growing pull to develop new commercial markets for secondary materials. ResourceData can assist in guiding businesses as they adapt their operating models to take advantage of these emerging opportunities to capture resource. Data is the next big thing; not just for the waste and recycling sector, but also for future cities development and systems thinking whereby resource management will underpin and unlock economic innovation,” he concluded.
Phillip Ward, Chairman of Resource Futures added, “Resource Futures has always been strong in creating and analysing data about what is in the waste stream. With ResourceData we are adding real value to our own and other published data sets. This will create enormous opportunities for all those concerned with planning and managing resource based services to improve the effectiveness and value of their activities. England’s languishing recycling rates suggest that much of the low hanging fruit has been picked. Future progress will come from smarter operations and ResourceData can underpin those.”
Read more about ResourceData or Resource Futures.
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