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CIWM, the leading professional body for the resource and waste management sector, marked the inauguration of its next President, Dr Anna Willetts, with the launch of her 2022 Presidential Report, ‘Improving the way we regulate circular resources in the UK’, which focuses on how best to streamline and give confidence in the End of Waste process.
It is widely recognised that an easily regulated End of Waste (EoW) system is vital to establishing a circular economy, protecting the environment and human health. This year’s President’s Report reviews the understanding and application of EoW criteria across the UK and sets out a series of improvements that could be made to ease the transition to a circular economy. The eight key recommendations detailed in the report are:
• Increase collaboration between national regulators
• Leverage existing environment and market controls to demonstrate EoW
• Improve intelligence through digital tracking
• Improve understanding of EoW
• Proactive support to clarify the EoW position for products produced by new technologies
• Improve confidence in self-certification
• Small changes to the EoW application service to improve customer satisfaction
• Alternative approaches to assessing risk to the environment and human health
Commenting on the launch of her Report, Willetts, said: “If we are to keep the UK at the forefront of the circular economy, we need a regulatory environment that offers both clarity and consistency in relation to achieving End of Waste status. Failing to deliver this will deter investment and hamper the brilliant innovation we see across the resources and waste management sector. I hope that, in addition to making several practical recommendations, my report will stimulate discussion and help accelerate our journey to a world beyond waste.”
Willetts was inaugurated into the role of CIWM President at a ceremony in Manchester on 30 June 2022. Willetts has been a member of CIWM for over 20 years, having first joined as a student. She brings a wealth of experience to the presidency from both her current role as a Partner practicing environmental law at gunnercooke LLP and her previous career as an environmental consultant. Willetts takes over the role of President from Dr Adam Read who moves into the role of Immediate Past President.
