An announcement on the future of the Resource Association is expected this week.
Founded eight years ago in 2011 as the trade body for the reprocessing and recycling sector, the association was an early champion of the need for quality material to be collected for recycling.
Its long-serving chief executive is Ray Georgeson who brought many years of experience in the sector to the Association, including time at WRAP working on recycling activities.
(l-r) Ray Georgeson of the Resource Association and Paul Vanston of INCPEN which could absorb Resource Association members
At its 2011 launch event, the Resource Association said it would focus on “promoting the quality and usability of secondary resources as well as highlighting the reprocessing and recycling industries contribution to carbon reduction, employment and economic development” (see letsrecycle.com story).
Commingling
However, despite the considerable work by the Association, which has often seen it view the commingling of recyclables as less than ideal, commingling has continued and its members have even come to operate sorting plants.
The quality debate has also been influenced more recently by the decision of China to restrict the import of recyclables and impose tight quality limits, with these now being considered by others nations, such as Indonesia.
Mr Georgeson told letsrecycle.com that he could not comment at this time on the future of the association but that a statement would be issued soon.
Resource Association members include DS Smith Recycling, Ecosurety, the Kent Resource Partnership, Novelis Recycling, Palm Recycling and Smurfit Kappa. At least one member, UPM, has recently left the association.
The Resource Association is thought to be the third cross sector body of its type. In the past there has been a Recycling Industries Alliance (see letsrecycle.com story) and a small UK Resources organisation in the late 1980s.
INCPEN
One way forward under active discussion is for remaining Resource Association members to be taken on as members by the packaging sector trade association, INCPEN, the Industry Council on Packaging and the Environment. There are some common interests and at least one company (DS Smith) is a member of both organisations.
INCPEN, which is headed by chief executive Paul Vanston, last week advised its board that “a partner trade body” – which is understood by letsrecycle.com to be the Resource Association – had approached it to see if its “remaining members” could be taken on by INCPEN.
Mr Vanston referenced the “probable closure of a partner trade body” and notes that INCPEN has worked with the trade body closely over the past year.
Way forward
Mr Vanston has told INCPEN that such a move to take on the other body’s members could enhance the work of INCPEN. He is to draw up a proposal which “Forges a way forward for INCPEN that is very beneficial to our agenda”.
And, having the remaining trade body members as INCPEN members, suggested Mr Vanston, would enhance “our effectiveness with partner sectors (particularly councils, recyclers and waste management companies)”.
Related links
The Resource Association
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Source: letsrecycle.com Plastic
