I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer. For those of you that have chosen to stay in the UK rather than seeking sunnier climes elsewhere, we finally appear to be getting some long-awaited sun!
Of course the bank holiday weekend is fast approaching – it's unbelievable to think that it’s nearly the end of August already – and whilst many of us will be enjoying a long three day break, I’d just like to send out a note of appreciation to those frontline workers in waste management who will still be busy working hard over that time period ensuring that bin collections continue to run smoothly.
Often things tend to be quieter at this time of year, so I for one am trying to catch up with various pieces of work and gearing up for Autumn when conference season begins again, and things get busier.
In a couple of weeks, I’ll be attending the free regional event for our East/London/South East and South West members on food waste. There is still time to sign up for this if you’ve not done so already. If you are not in that region, or unable to make the event, then check with your regional representative to see what they are organising in your area.
On 11th and 12th September, myself and others from LARAC will be at RWM in Birmingham, where we will be hosting the ‘LARAC lounge’, so come over and have a chat if you are there. We are always available ‘electronically’ but I’m sure you’ll agree that it is much nicer and more valuable to spend time discussing things face to face.
Later on in September, we will also be providing the latest in our series of webinars, which will be focussing on commercial waste. For English Local Authorities, the requirements under Simpler Recycling are to provide a separate dry recycling collection and a separate food waste collection to all of their commercial customers by March 2025 – only seven months away! The webinar will provide the opportunity for attendees to get further clarification around these commitments and ask questions of key experts on what is sometimes a forgotten topic, compared to household waste.
So, lots to look forward to and engage with as always, and moving forwards I think we are all waiting to see what the future holds with regards to the new Government and how they will be addressing waste management. After their summer recess, I hope that things will start to really ramp up coming into the Autumn. And of course, at every turn, LARAC will be there to keep members up to date with any announcements.
