LAWR

PAWRS PREVIEW 2015 16 Local Authority Waste & Recycling May 2015 LAWR: Can you tell us a bit about yourself, please? Richard Hunt (RH): I have been involved in the skip and waste industry since 1978. I set up on my own and started an independent skip business. In 1984, I sold that to A&J Bull, one of the largest skip operators in England. It was based in Mitcham, Surrey. I then worked as a consultant for them for four years, until around 1988. I then set up my own skip business again. I worked there for ten years, but then I sold the business to A&J Bull again. In 1994, I then set up my own machinery business. I developed a new invention – a high 'skip tip' for dumpers. Before this point, workers would use a wheelbarrow to put their waste in and load it on to a board and on to a skip. With my system a scissor load would drop the waste into a skip mechanically. I worked on this business until 2007. In 2012 I was instrumental in stopping the government from raising trommel fines taxes – fines are generated at waste transfer sites by trommels [large screened cylinders] which separate materials by size, for example separating the biodegradable fraction of mixed municipal waste or separating different sizes of crushed stone. Taxes for trommel fines were normally set at £4 per tonne. However, the government was planning to make this £60 per tonne. I started a petition to take the argument against an increase in taxes to the House of Lords. Subsequently, the government has reversed its plans. The rate has been kept stable at the moment. LAWR: So when did you get involved with PAWRS? RH: That was back in 2008, following CIWM's decision to withdraw from the show and set up its own exhibition in London. LAWR: What innovations can we expect at the show this year? RH: We have a range of big names attending the show including Mercedes Benz and Dennis Eagle. This year we've introduced new conferences and seminars in relation to key waste and recycling issues. We have never done this before. Hopefully this will attract council officers to come along. A lot of councils are under budgetary restraints at the moment and need to justify why they need to go out of the office. We have a range of speakers that will appeal to local authority officers at the show. We also have a live demonstration area. This will give visitors the opportunity to see technology in action and speak with experts. These are new things we're doing to keep the show going. LAWR: Is it a challenge to set your show apart from the others? RH: There are so many waste shows these days and it can affect visitor numbers. Some organisations only have a set budget to attend particular shows, so there is pressure to attract visitors. Last year, we attracted around 1,800 people and this year we hope to hit 3,000. However, we want to attract serious buyers – we don't want tyre kickers. We are not looking to attract people who just pick up brochures and come to waste time. We are attracting people who are serious about doing business. It's a great place for networking. LAWR: What are the trends you are seeing that are affecting the sector, and where do you see growth? RH: We are seeing a number of laws coming out of Brussels that are affecting the industry. These include laws that focus on turning waste into energy and diverting waste from landfill sites. The focus on recycling more is everyone's priority at the moment. If we do not meet our EU landfill targets by 2020 the UK faces fines of up to £100m. The show must go on The Plant & Waste Recycling Show (PAWRS) has been attracting the great and the good for 30 years. LAWR finds its chairman Richard Hunt in an upbeat but controversial mood ahead of next month's show in Paignton, Devon. "I was instrumental in stopping the government from raising trommel fines taxes"

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