Ireland produces over 3 million tonnes of municipal waste each year – SMEs create over 50% of this commercial and industrial waste
SMILE Resource Exchange is encouraging businesses from all sectors to get the new year off to a good start with a resolution that will save them money, reduce waste going to landfill and help them develop new business opportunities in 2012.
With the landfill levy set to rise even further this year in a series of planned hikes, which will more than double the charge from its existing level at the start of 2011, now is the perfect time to look at business practices relating to waste disposal and make a change. The levy is scheduled to increase from €50 a tonne to €65 a tonne on June 1st this year, followed by a further increase to €75 a tonne on June 1st 2013, following an announcement last year by Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government Phil Hogan.
The levy increase means that, for example, if a hospitality business sends approximately 50 tonnes of waste to landfill, this hike will increase their annual costs by €2,250. The increases are designed to make landfill uneconomical and so help move waste away from disposal and concentrate minds on resource management and waste prevention.
SMILE (Saving Money through Industry Links and Exchanges) Resource Exchange is an initiative that encourages the idea that “one person’s waste is another’s resource” and works with businesses and organisations to foster partnerships that allow them to exchange their reusable resources. Michelle Green, Project Manager of SMILE Resource Exchange says “Waste is sometimes a subjective concept, because items that some people discard as rubbish may have value to others.”
Visit www.smileexchange.ie for more details.
