Another year, another LARAC Conference….and what a conference it was!
LARAC once again held its annual National conference last week and it was a roaring success! This was my second conference as Chair and the 33rd conference overall in LARAC's 37 year history.
I am so proud to chair such a highly regarded organisation, which has helped and supported hundreds of Local Authorities over the years, and this conference is a big part of that support, bringing together some excellent speakers, sponsors and delegates, which helped to generate some enlightening conversations and debates.
Although there was of course lots of focus on the Collection and Packaging Reforms (CPR), the intention of the conference was to ensure that a wide range of topics were covered and the focus was on how we could work together and move forward, despite the lack of detail that we have received over the past few months.
One key issue that was raised a number of times within the discussions and Q&A, was the issue of single use disposable vapes. These items have become more and more talked about over the past year or so, and I think we can all agree what a problematic item they are.
At the first session on Day One, Linda Crichton from DEFRA was asked about single use vapes, and I also spoke with her afterwards and asked her to start raising the profile of these back at DEFRA. It was obvious from the conference that this will be a key material to focus on from now on, so LARAC will be doing a lot more work on this over the coming months, and liaising with DEFRA about the way forwards.
We added some additional seminars this to the conference this year, so delegates could get more information on topics ranging from waste minimisation, food waste, contamination and litter to reuse and repair, health and safety, WEEE and POPs. And from what I hear, all seminars were very well attended – even those on the Thursday morning after the awards evening!
And speaking of the awards, I would like to say a huge congratulations to all of the awards winners; Wiltshire Council, SWISCo Ltd, the London Borough of Hackney, Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority, Fife Council and the London Borough of Westminster. I think this is probably my favourite part of the conference, as I know how hard everyone works and I always feel so proud to reward people for their efforts.
After the conference I always feel exhausted but exhilarated (could this be the new meaning for E&E?), but I am already looking forward to the next one on 9th and 10th October 2024. If you missed out on a place this year, make sure you sign up for next year as soon as tickets are available. I hope to see you there!
