Access All Areas March 2019 | Page 56

WASTE MANAGEMENT MARCH | SECTOR FOCUS The industry is stepping up to its vast waste management duties by way of good practice and offsetting MANAGING CHANGE Paul Cox, managing director of Reconomy says waste management is heavily regulated and that this regulatory complexity is compounded by uncertainty, following the UK’s Brexit vote, and this makes compliance increasingly difficult. He gives the following take- aways • Many businesses are unaware of their compliance risks yet ignorance is no defence and fines can now seriously impact finances - as much as £3 million in fact. • It is now critical that your business recognises its obligations under waste management legislation. • Understand waste management legislation and how it applies to your construction practices is essential to the success of your business. 56 Untitled-6 1 • Not only will it help you avoid damaging compliance failures and fines, it will help you navigate the changing regulatory environment as Britain withdraws from the EU. • Demonstrating competency around waste management legislation makes it easier to win new business and boost your bottom line. OFF-SETTING YOUR IMPACT Energy Revolution has helped to offset the carbon emissions from over 3 million average car miles to festivals and other events throughout 2018. Energy Revolution is a charity that aims to reduce the environmental impacts from fossil fuel travel to events. The 3 million car miles of travel are equivalent to 962,274 kg CO2e. The charity was founded in 2015 by the teams behind Shambala, Boomtown, Secret Garden, Kendal Calling and Bluedot, after a report by Powerful Thinking showed that typically up to80% of an average festival’s carbon footprint comes from audience travel. 100% of balancing donations received in 2018 will go to Solar For Schools, an initiative that puts solar panels on the roofs of schools in the UK This allows them to produce low-cost, clean electricity, and educate children about the low carbon future. New Energy Revolution members in 2018 included Download and Reading festivals, produced by Festival Republic, who champion festival sustainability initiatives. They donated £1 from every car-parking pass to Energy Revolution. Festival travel provider Tuned in Travel joined last year, balancing 100% of the CO2 from passenger travel to events. Ticket agent The Ticketsellers has continued to support the project, introducing clients to travel-balancing and embedding a travel carbon calculator into the ticket-buying process. 07/02/2019 11:32