Cradle Coast businesses are being encouraged to get together and find commercial uses for their surplus materials and by-products that would otherwise be considered as waste.
At a free workshop to be held in Burnie, businesses will learn about circular economies where one business’s waste is another’s valuable input.

In a circular economy, spent resources ranging from used cooking oil to off-cuts from poly pipes are reprocessed and reused for as long as possible to extract maximum value.

The Cradle Coast Waste Management Group and Dulverton Waste Management (DWM), representing seven of the region’s Councils, are hosting the workshop which will be facilitated by one of Australia’s leading experts in resource recovery and sustainable development, Mike Ritchie of MRA Australia.

Mr Ritchie noted that local businesses have the potential to benefit on both sides of their business ledger by reducing operating costs and by finding new sources of income.
“Selling something that was previously being disposed is a simple concept, but it can be difficult for businesses to imagine these new uses and find potential buyers when they may be based in different industries and outside of the reach of their usual supply chain contacts,” said Mr Ritchie.

“Through this event, we hope that Cradle Coast businesses can make those connections and spark ideas for how traditional waste streams could be diverted from landfill and reused or reprocessed.”

“It’s a different way of thinking about production inputs and outputs. When done at a regional scale, we are able to tap in to multiple industries, simplify transport and logistics and hopefully achieve a commercial scale beyond what would be possible in a single municipal area or industrial park.”

Workshop participants will receive advice on how to establish successful circular economies, hear examples of active businesses and the benefits they’ve achieved, examine the economics of recycling and resource recovery, and work together to identify opportunities for reuse within the region.

The workshop will be held at Wellers Inn, Burnie.  Interested businesses can RSVP by calling 6424 7344 by 14 May.