About WRAP
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Our four priority areas

We work in a fast changing industry, against an economic and policy background that can shift rapidly. 

Our ability to achieve increasingly demanding targets for landfill diversion and CO2 reduction requires us to maintain a broad-based competency across the materials and sectors which influence the resource efficiency loop.

However, each Business Plan inevitably involves shifts of emphasis, and over the next three years, we will be focusing on four priority areas.

  • Packaging

    Concern for consumers and policymakers alike

    A close up of plastic bottles moving along a conveyor belt in a mrf. In the background a worker removes contamination.

    THE MANUFACTURE AND DISPOSAL OF PACKAGING IS OF HIGH CONCERN TO CONSUMERS AND POLICYMAKERS ALIKE.

    Much of the success in this area is driven by the Courtauld Commitment - our voluntary agreement with the major retailers, brands and suppliers to reduce the impact of packaging.

    A new initiative will see us building on our work on plastic bottles to help develop infrastructure and technologies for dealing with mixed plastics - films, trays, and rigid containers such as yoghurt posts - in a resource-efficient way.

  • Food waste

    Real potential to contribute to tackling climate change

    Mother and child making smoothie.

    EVERY TONNE OF FOOD WASTE PREVENTED HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SAVE 4.5 TONNES OF CO2 EQUIVALENT.

    This means that reducing food waste can make a real contribution to tackling greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.  During 2008, our Love Food Hate Waste campaign will continue to drive behavioural change in this area.  We will also report on the food waste collection trials we are running with English local authorities.

    We will continue to increase the capacity for recycling food waste, including accelerating the expansion of anaerobic digestion through technical and finanacial support.

  • Collection systems

    Meeting targets and responding to consumer demand

    A waste operative pushes a garden waste wheelie bin towards the collection lorry, in front of a block of flats.

    WE AIM TO HELP LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO MAXIMISE THE POTENTIAL OF A WELL DESIGNED COLLECTION SYSTEM TO MEET THE RECYCLING TARGETS AND RESPOND TO THE DEMANDS OF THE PUBLIC.

    This means having a customer service approach, with good communications and systems that are clear and easy to use. 

    We will continue to prioritise this approach through our advisory service for local authorities and through the continued communication of good practice.

  • Quality of materials

    Driving to produce the best quality materials possible

    Washing milk bottle in the sink

    WHILE OPINION IS DIVIDED ABOUT THE RELATIVE MERITS OF KERBSIDE SORT AND CO-MINGLED RECYCLABLES COLLECTION, WE WILL CONTINUE WORKING ON BENCHMARKING THE COSTS AND EFFICIENCY OF LOCAL AUTHORITY RECYCLING COLLECTION SYSTEMS.

    Our work on developing best practice in the sorting of co-mingled materials at Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) will also be a priority, on the basis that all options are likely to continue to be needed, and the driving force must be to produce the best quality materials possible, whatever the collection system.