Waste and recycling advice available to local businesses in online Industrial Symbiosis Webinar

The online event, taking place from 11am, includes speakers from local business, Zero Waste North West and International Synergies Ltd.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Brian Tierney, said it was an ideal opportunity for businesses to reduce their waste costs and learn more about the earning potential of what they might otherwise dispose of.

“This is a very anxious and testing time for local businesses who are the lifeblood of our economy,” he said. “We hope that this free event may give some local entrepreneurs useful information on how to turn unused materials from their business into something beneficial for themselves and others.

“This event is part of Council’s Circular Economy Strategy, which aims to reduce waste while boosting business and protecting our environment.”

The Resource Matching Service connects businesses together where one business’ waste – for example waste material, excess water or energy, process by-products, or redundant equipment – can be utilised by another business.

To date, the Invest NI scheme has delivered over £42million of economic benefit and diverted over 400,000 tonnes of quality materials from landfill and reduced harmful carbon emissions by 380,000 tonnes.

Stephen Wightman, Director for Technology Solutions, Invest NI continued: “We are pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate with Derry City and Strabane District Council on this webinar and offer businesses from all sectors and sizes in the North West the chance to learn more about resource matching. This comes at a critical time for our local businesses. It can help them explore the many ways to improve their consumption of materials, energy, water and capacity, to reduce costs and increase sustainability practices.”

The service is delivered by International Synergies Ltd on behalf of Invest NI.

Elaine Kerr of International Synergies Ltd added: “The Invest NI Resource Matching service could well help your business to find a way to weather the effects of a break down in your supply chain, Brexit, the Coronavirus pandemic or other crisis. Industrial Symbiosis, also called Resource Matching, has enabled over 500 businesses across the region to achieve cost savings of over £42million. It can ensure that one company’s wasted materials, like packaging, water, process waste and furniture become a valuable raw material for another business. This has a significant positive environmental effect too by enabling resources to be reused and recycled rather than sent to landfill.”

To register for the Industrial Symbiosis Webinar visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/industrial-symbiosis-webinar-tickets-125610058065​

For more on Council’s Waste and Recycling Services visit derrystrabane.com/recycling.

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