Waste sector 'could create 84,000 jobs and produce renewable energy'

A new report has found that the waste management sector could create 84,000 jobs and produce 15 per cent of the UK’s renewable electricity requirements in the next decade.

The report has been published by SITA UK and is entitled ‘Driving green growth: The role of the waste management industry and the circular economy'. It details how the waste industry could look in 2020, highlighting several ways that it could become a central part of the UK's goals on jobs and green energy.

David Palmer Jones, CEO SITA UK said: “The UK currently has a unique opportunity to revitalise its economy by changing the way it manages waste. Investing in new waste treatment facilities will not only create employment and economic growth but consolidate a more secure energy supply."

Mr Palmer Jones added that the sector is performing well currently, and if it keeps moving in the same direction, it could unlock vital funding in bridging the 'green gap' so the UK can meet its carbon budget targets to 2020.

Additionally, there is a lot of potential in a circular economy, which will primarily focus on producing renewable energy and generating money and jobs that way. The report predicts that the waste to resource and energy-from-waste sectors could provide opportunities for up to £25 billion of investment in new infrastructure, including new waste treatment facilities.

Posted by Lauren Steadman