The circular economy

Treating waste as a resource changes the way in which we see the waste management industry. In the circular economy model, the waste industry works together with the economic cycle of product manufacture so that when a product reaches the end of its useful life it becomes a part of the waste cycle where it is treated to become a secondary resource.

Within the circular economy, the role of waste management is to collect and treat waste so that it can either be recycled and used as a resource in the manufacture of new products or returned to the economic cycle in the form of recovered energy.

Recovering value and creating markets for the materials and energy we produce from the waste our industry handles become the principal policy drivers.

We can only operate effectively in the circular economy if markets can be found for the products we create. Maintaining our product quality is vital and, therefore, at the centre of our business strategy.

For more information, please download Achieving the vision of no more waste: Engaging in the circular economy.