Lords explore products that can be made from waste
3 December 2013
The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee will on Tuesday, 3 December, hear from big business and global environmental experts on current and future products that can be made from waste.
- Parliament TV: Waste Opportunities: stimulating a bioeconomy
- Inquiry: Waste Opportunities: stimulating a bioeconomy
- Science and Technology Committee (Lords)
The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee will on Tuesday, 3 December, hear from big business and global environmental experts on current and future products that can be made from waste.
The committee is exploring the potential to create a multi-million pound economy from waste - from agriculture, industry and households. Using new technologies, organic wastes such as orange peel and coffee grounds can be converted into fragrances, plastics or fuel.
Next week’s evidence session will explore in more detail what sort of market exists for these products, and what the environmental implications are.
In the first of two sessions, the Committee will take a closer look at the current and in-the-pipeline products, and how successfully they might be marketed.
Witnesses
Tuesday 3 December, Committee Room 4
At 10.10am:
- Dr Colin Tattam, Chemistry Innovation Knowledge Transfer Network (CI-KTN);
- Dr Peter Williams, CEO, INEOS Bio; and
- Dr Mike Goosey, former Manager of Biofuels R&D at Shell.
Areas of questioning
- which products will be on the market in five, ten and twenty years time;
- what the current and future market value is of products made from waste;
- how profit margins might be improved; whether all stages of research and development are adequately funded; and
- whether incentives are constructive or detrimental to a healthy market.
In the second session of the morning, the Committee will hear about the environmental impact from the marketing and production of these products.
At 11.10am:
- Dr Michael Warhurst, Head, Economics and Resource Use Programme, Friends of the Earth;
- Dr Jim Philp, Policy Analyst, Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); and
- Professor Richard Murphy, Centre for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey.
Areas of questioning
- what the environmental benefits are of using bio-waste and waste gas as a feedstock;
- whether there are any other environmental problems caused by alternative uses of bio-waste and waste gas; and
- whether a complete ban on sending bio-waste to landfill is needed.