Hot on the heels of my trip to Scotland it was back to work and into a few more events starting with the Materials Recycling World (MRW) Roundtable to discuss crucial developments and challenges facing local government organisations and their partners in delivering on circular economy aims. You can read the online story and it will appear in its print magazine soon.
My thanks to MRW and Norse Group for the invitation and for hosting the day. I always enjoy these types of events as they provide an opportunity to get practitioners around a table and discuss solutions to some of the complex challenges facing our sector. They also encourage us to consider alternative perspectives and approaches.
A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the challenge of aligning policy ambition with local authority capacity to deliver. While there remains strong commitment to circular economy principles, participants highlighted the financial pressures, infrastructure constraints and increasing complexity facing councils.
After London I was honoured to be invited to the CIWM Presidential Inauguration 2026 of Vicki Hughes in York. I got to hear about her campaign Think Again, a 12-month initiative aimed at tackling the industry's talent gap. It challenges businesses to rethink how they attract talent, improve diversity, and shift outdated perceptions of the waste and resources sector.
It was also great to hear from Professor David Greenfield as he came to the end of his term but I got to see Ryan Woodard recognised for all his great work being awarded the CIWM President's award. Ryan has worked with us at West Sussex on a number of projects over the years and it is always great to catch up with him.
The evening event was held at the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall a historic building, established over 660 years ago.
As London Climate Action Week arrived, I attended a reception: Resourcing the Future - Decarbonising the UK Waste Management Sector where we got to hear from WRAP CEO Catherine David, you can read more and take part in the consultation on the WRAP website.
The following week it was back to London for the Biffa Waste Net Zero 2026 event at County Hall. This expanded event saw many more local authority customers in attendance. It was great to hear from a range of speakers and to take part in a panel discussion on the rising cost and complexity of residual waste. A great event all round
My run of events concluded with a trip to Cardiff for the LARAC Wales Conference. The event opened with a keynote update from Andy Rees of the Welsh Government, followed by presentations covering EPR, flexible plastics, workplace recycling enforcement, waste minimisation and the textiles market.
Kelly Heller from West Sussex County Council spoke on our 20-year Waste Prevention Volunteer programme and the highlight for me was Dr Henry Irving from Leeds Beckett University covering the history of waste for Wales. With thanks to all of our speakers and attendees at the event and a big well done to our Wales rep Kevin Bayliss for chairing the sessions.
Across all of these events, one theme stood out: the sector's success ultimately depends on people. Whether discussing net zero ambitions, EPR implementation, skills shortages or public engagement, delivering change requires talented and committed individuals. That is why spending time with LARAC Executive Director Toni McNamara has been such a highlight. Her energy, commitment and growth as a leader continue to make a significant impact on LARAC and the wider sector, and I look forward to seeing what she achieves in the years ahead.
LARAC
