The Environment Agency has urged businesses and organisations to sign up to a virtual panel to help shape the UK’s waste tracking project.
Up to 600 panel members will test and provide feedback on software as it is developed and take part in targeted research to understand user needs in more detail.
The waste tracking project was first announced by Defra in February 2019, and more than £7 million in funding has been secured
This will generally take place online, according to the Environment Agency, and those who sign up will only be invited to take part with no obligation.
“We accept that it may be difficult for some people to contribute during the Covid 19 pandemic and that is not a problem,” the Agency added.
Project
The waste tracking project was first announced by Defra in February 2019, with Anthesis and Topolytics awarded up to 500,000 each in October 2019 to enter into ‘phase 2’ of the project.
This will see the pair work with Defra and the devolved administrations to construct prototypes for the UK’s first comprehensive digital waste tracking system.
The Environment Agency says it has secured £7.2 million of funding to continue to develop the project after October 2020 and the Environment Bill contains provisions for mandatory electronic waste tracking.
Anthesis plans to use QR codes on mobile devices to record the ID of consignments, so transactions will be faster and error free, whilst Topolytics plans to utilise data from a range of devices including apps and sensors on waste containers or vehicles. It is hoped this will help the Agency tackle waste crime.
Malcolm Lythgo, head of waste regulation at the Environment Agency, also tweeted the appeal earlier today, as seen below.
We are developing a new electronic Waste Tracking Service to help tackle waste crime by making it easier for businesses to record their waste movements and transfers.
You can help us design it by signing up for our user panel: https://t.co/2lVncxT4Tq pic.twitter.com/lMbl9h1V2q
— Malcolm Lythgo (@MalcolmLythgoEA) August 25, 2020
UK
The project is being undertaken by all four countries in the United Kingdom, and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) launched its own appeal in April.
SEPA urged local authorities to get involved in the project, but said it recognised the difficulties in doing so during the pandemic (see letsrecycle.com story)
LARAC also appealed to its members in July to take part, saying that the project is reaching “an exciting stage with software soon to be released for testing and the team is keen for more local authorities to have a say in its development”.
22 October, Waste Crime Conference, Virtual Online Event
Waste Crime will be on the agenda at the Virtual Waste Crime Conference, to be held on the 22 October. More information can be found here.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
