RWM announces short-list for rising stars of resource management award

11 September 2015

RWM 2015,the international event for recycling innovation, has announced the short-list in its search to find the industry's 'Rising Stars' of resource management. The overall winner and two runners up will be announced at the RWM Show on Wednesday 16 September in the Circular Economy Connect Theatre from 11.40am-11.55 am.

The 'Rising Stars' competition celebrates trailblazing initiatives that challenge the way the recycling industry works, identifying the top newcomers and inspiring a new generation of resource managers.

The top five individuals who have introduced innovative recycling practices within the past five years, helping to transform their organisation and the industry as a whole, are:

Steven Burns, Commercial Director of Impact Recycling Ltd, who led a project to change the future of plastics recycling by creating the technology to separate mixed plastics. Steven is the project manager and co-inventor of the recycling technology 'BOSS' (Baffled Oscillation Separation System).

Peter Goodwin - An estimated 2.5 billion paper drinking cups were being sent to general waste to be either landfilled or incinerated until the introduction of 'Simply Cups', a partnership between Closed Loop Environmental Solutions and Simply Waste Solutions, founded by Peter.

Kristina Jackson - Waste Services Development Manager who joined ISS Facility Services in 2013 and began the challenging task of mobilising the waste management aspect of ISS' FM contract at London Heathrow's Terminal 2. She implemented a number of highly innovative systems to manage the terminal's complex waste portfolio, and delivered a world class recycling rate of 72% within just five months.

Arthur Kay - co-founder and CEO of bio-bean. His green energy company has industrialised the process of recycling waste coffee grounds into advanced biofuels, biomass pellets for heating buildings and biodiesel for powering transport systems. In just two years, he has grown bio-bean to a team of 20, raised several million pounds in finance and built the world's first waste coffee recycling factory with the capacity to process 50,000 tonnes of waste coffee grounds each year.

James Peacock - Waste Contracts Manager at Wessex Water manages the organisation's ambitious goal to become the first zero waste to landfill utility company in the UK. The zero waste to landfill strategy has achieved a number of industry firsts, including 100% landfill diversion for sewage screenings, no waste sent direct to landfill for the entire company, and innovative treatment of contaminated waste. The company is currently at 97% landfill diversion and on course to achieve 100% landfill diversion by 2016.

The competition judges are:

Barry Dennis, Chair of RWM
Steve Lee, CEO of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management
Paul Vanston, Kent Resource Partnership.

Barry Dennis, Chair of RWM said: "This is an important award that shows our industry's ongoing commitment to both drive growth and innovation in the way we manage resources and also to develop the people involved in making that happen. The three judges were unanimous in their view that the entries in this year's competition were of an extremely high standard. The shortlisted candidates should all be proud of what they have achieved, we had a tough choice to choose a winner."

The competition will culminate in three finalists being selected to present to a panel of judges at RWM 2015. The winner will receive a valuable CIWM training package and funding towards their initiative worth over £2000.

For more information about Europe's largest and best-established event for resource efficiency and waste management visit www.rwmexhibition.com, call + 44 203 033 2049 or email info@rwmexhibition.com.

ENDS

Notes to editors
About RWM and i2i Events Group

RWM in partnership with CIWM (www.rwmexhibition.com) is Europe's premier event dedicated to resource and waste management solutions and takes place from 15 to 17 September 2015 at the NEC Birmingham (halls 4 to 5). The event is the result of the merger in December 2010 of the i2i Events Group's (formerly Emap) RWM exhibition and CIWM and ESA's Futuresource show, and is now the major annual show for the sector attracting over 13,000 visitors.

i2i Events Group: i2i Events Group delivers world-class exhibitions and large scale events in key sectors including home and gift, fashion, retail, healthcare, energy, environment, education, technology and media. Its portfolio of world-wide events includes World Retail Congress, RWM, Spring Fair, Naidex, BVE, Bett and Pure London. i2i Events prides itself on opening up possibilities for its customers and each year brings more than 200,000 decision makers together to network, source, test, buy and sell brilliant products, services, ideas and solutions. i2ieventsgroup.com

For press enquiries please contact:

Michelle Eastty - Ceris Burns International t: +44(0)1825 714329 e: michelle@cbipr.com www.cbipr.com