As part of the annual LARAC Scholarship Programme, sponsored by Ecogenesys, we invite suitably qualified LARAC members to apply for a Scholarship place to attend our LARAC UK Conference in Birmingham. This year, 24 successful scholars joined our conference, on what was LARACs 40th Anniversary year!
At our annual 2-day conference the LARAC Scholars, new entrants to our industry, get the chance to hear the latest from the leaders in our field, learn how to place their own experiences in the national context and get practical insights which they can apply in their own workplace.
As a scholar, attending such an event can be a little daunting, so we help ease them in gently by holding a scholars’ only session the day before conference.
This year the session was led by Tom McBeth, LARAC Policy Officer, plus an eye-opening presentation on ‘The World of WEEE’ from Hannah Graham of Ecogenesys, the sponsors of the scholarship programme. Cathy Cook, LARAC Chair, was also introduced to the group plus LARAC Exec members Vicki Burrell (LARAC Vice Chair), Cindy Gardener and Gareth Rollings who gave their very useful insights into ‘Being a Local Authority Waste Officer’.
Following on was a Chair’s drinks just ahead of the Quiz Night/Meet the Exec session with dinner, (with thanks again to our quiz-master James Ward, LARAC Vice Chair), this gives the scholars time to network a bit more in a relaxed environment. This really does help them prepare for two full days of conference, networking and workshops, and the relationships they forge are incredibly valued.
We ask all our scholars to write a brief report on how the three days shaped up for them, their reactions to it, lessons learned, beneficial experiences. The reports speak for themselves, and we can happily say we have achieved our goals for them, and you can read their comments for yourself below. We’d like to thank them all for coming, bringing their enthusiasm and engaging enthusiastically during another successful conference.
If you are thinking of applying to our scholarship next year, it’s a really good idea to read their highlights below as they share their experiences or read their reports in full here.
The 2025 Scholars, in their own words….
Scholars’ session:
"The session was relaxed and welcoming, and it gave us the chance to ask questions and share our own experiences. It was interesting to hear about the different career journeys of the Exec members and to find out more about WEEE recycling from Ecogenesys."
Meet the Exec & Quiz:
"The pre-conference Scholar’s seminar, meet the exec drinks and quiz night was a relaxed and fun way to introduce us to the organisation and the people running it and begin networking with other scholars."
“The ‘Meet the Exec’ drinks was a definite highlight. It was a relaxed, friendly evening and a brilliant way to get to know people in a more informal setting. The quiz was full of laughs and helped everyone to mingle and chat easily.”
Conference Day 1:
“Disruptive Comms - Campaign highlights ranged from Lambeth’s ‘Look Out for Lambeth’ anti-harassment initiative to Recycle Week’s ‘Meet the Binfluencers’ and Waltham Forest’s creative TikTok campaigns, using trending music like Charli XCX lyrics to engage residents around food waste, achieving over 200,000 views.”
“My favourite session came from Dr Henry Irving, titled Learning from the History of Waste. He reflected on how attitudes towards waste have evolved since the Public Health Act 1875, when councils were first asked to collect waste. Dr Irving’s exploration of wartime salvage campaigns was particularly inspiring - when people were asked to save and separate materials for reuse, they quickly adapted. His message was clear: people can change when needed, a powerful reminder in today’s throwaway culture.”
“I also took great enjoyment from the ‘Poking the Bear’ presentation about disruptive communications. This touched upon many areas relevant to my current work and has emboldened me to explore some more ‘disruptive’, attention-grabbing content for our future campaigns!”
Awards Night:
“The Awards Ceremony was a highlight, offering delicious food and the chance to meet members, businesses, and sponsors at our tables. A personal highlight was seeing Barry from EastEnders as the event’s compère!”
“During the awards, I really got a sense of the breadth and impact of the work we do in the sector, which was truly inspiring. I was proud to wear a fully sustainable outfit; my awards dress was a charity shop find.”
Conference Day 2:
“On Day 2, I particularly appreciated the workshops on ETS and Carbon Capture. These topics are highly relevant to my role working with Energy from Waste and Household Recycling Centres. The sessions were tailored
to help scholars deepen their understanding of policy, innovation, and leadership in waste management. They were both practical and thought-provoking, helping me connect national strategy with local delivery.”
“I was fortunate enough to go on the site visit to the Sherbourne Recycling MRF facility. I found this incredibly interesting given my bachelor’s degree in Robotics, and being able to see the intersection between robotics and waste management in action was amazing.”
“The food waste good practice seminar was particularly relevant to me as this links directly to the work I am doing as part of the team responsible for planning the introduction of food waste collections as a new service.”
Final thoughts:
“I’m hugely grateful to LARAC and Ecogenesys. The LARAC Scholarship has strengthened my confidence, broadened my knowledge and perspective, and confirmed that I want to build my career within the waste and resource management sector - turning passion into long-term impact.”
“Thank you to LARAC and Ecogenesys for welcoming me at this brilliant event and for all the additional support and opportunities provided as a part of the scholar programme. I gained so much from the experience and highly recommend it to anyone thinking of applying for the programme in the future.”
“My advice to anyone thinking about applying – do it!”
