The atmosphere was truly buzzing, as Halls 17, 18, 19 and 20 were filled to the brim with exhibitors and delegates excited to connect with new and familiar faces. From waste management to energy to contamination and land remediation, as well as the brand new Air Pollution Control Expo for 2024, it really did feel like there was something for everyone.
Because of the sheer volume of ESS, unfortunately, it would be nearly impossible to cover each panel that took place, but here’s a few recycling and waste management highlights from the first day.
Waging War on Plastics at the Touch of a Button
To kick off the day, Nik Spencer (founder and CEO of Mission HERU) discussed the HERU hybrid heat pump and its potential to tackle plastic pollution on the Energy, Fuels and Decarbonisation Keynote stage between 10:15am to 10:45am.
“Waging War on Plastics at the Touch of a Button” discussed the development of the Hybrid Energy Resource Unit (HERU) which uses pyrolysis to turn materials that are otherwise hard to recycle into a heat source for residential use.
The technology uses a process originally developed by NASA, with a full life cycle assessment conducted by Ricardo.
The pump, which comes in three sizes, washes itself after each five-hour cycle.
Commonly processed items include food waste, hard-to-recycle plastics and sanitary items. It cannot accept metals and glass.
The UK Waste Wood Industry and The Future: An Expert Panel
Between 11:00am and 11:45am, the Wood Recyclers Association (WRA) hosted a panel exploring government policies and their impact on the future of the UK waste wood sector. 
Panellists included Samantha Smith (Renewable Energy Association), Mark Hayton (EGGER/Timberpak), Richard Jenkins (Esken Renewables), Andy Leitch (Confor) and Matthew Howarth (A&A Recycling Services). The session was chaired by Richard Coulson (RWE and WRA).
Coulson outlined the progress made by the WRA as of 2023, followed by the panel session.
A notable theme was the challenges faced by the industry in meeting the demand for sustainable wood – with the UK currently behind targets for forestry growth.
Leitch called for the new government to revisit these targets and commit to meeting them – even if that means adjusting to more realistic levels.
Environment Agency – Joining the Dots – Building the intelligence picture
This session followed on from the Environment Agency’s (EA’s) presentation at RWM 2023 in the Local Authority lounge which was titled “Effective Partnership Working”.
From12:45pm to 1:30pm on the Summit stage, the EA’s Waste Crime Engagement Specialists returned to discuss how the partnerships have helped to build the intelligence picture which prevents waste crime. 
The EA invited attendees to join the organisation in preventing waste crime across the UK to create a “level playing field” for all businesses in the waste industry.
Green Skills: How to Encourage More People into Jobs in the Environment Sector Q&A
On the Green Skills and Future Talent Stage from 2:25pm to 3:25pm, Martin Baxter (CEO of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment – IEMA), Lorraine Bedford (training administrator at FCC Environment) and Simon Clark (science communicator and author) discussed the challenges facing the industry when it comes to encouraging more people to seek green careers.
Addressing diversity issues was also discussed, in particular attracting the youth and marginalised groups to the sector.
The panel answered questions from the audience about topics such as climate pessimism amongst the youth, apprenticeship opportunities and teaching new generations about green skills.
The audience was encouraged to encourage climate positivity by making an effort to not only share negative news pieces and celebrate wins within the industry.
Clark encouraged the audience to turn to channels used by the youth when advertising green jobs – including podcasts and trending social media platforms.
Recycling the Unrecyclable
At the Circular Economy & Sustainability Stage, Nick Stillwell discussed Protomax’s innovative efforts in recycling materials traditionally deemed “unrecyclable.” Protomax has focused on creating practical and sustainable alternatives to commonly used products, aiming to find new ways to manage and repurpose waste.
One of Protomax’s significant achievements is the invention of Stormboard, a material designed as an alternative to plywood. The product is unique because it is made entirely from materials that are usually not recyclable. Initially, Storyboard was developed to build protective structures in Haiti, providing solutions for housing and infrastructure in disaster-affected areas.
Nick elaborated on the concept of a circular economy, defining it as a system where producers take responsibility for their materials by reclaiming them after use, reusing, and recycling them to reduce waste. He provided practical examples of this concept in action, noting that the signage for the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and the London Marathon was made entirely from rubbish.
Further expanding on recycling innovations, Nick discussed Protomax’s development of processes for safely recycling lithium-ion batteries found in devices like iPhones, drills, and vapes. The company has created methods to extract and condense chemicals from these batteries, including electrolytes, ensuring they are properly bottled and disposed of or repurposed. This advancement is particularly relevant for the recycling of vapes, which contain hazardous materials.
Fire Detection in Waste Recycling Facilities
Renata Specht from Honeywell took the stand at the Materials and Markets stage from 3:40pm to 4:10pm to discuss the company’s fire detection systems.
Honeywell offers scalable solutions for all waste facilities – with all sites requiring fire risk assessments ahead of the planning phase of construction.
The systems work in three areas: aspiration, thermography and early gas detection. 
Specht said that Honeywell – which has existed for over 100 years – hopes to assist customers in detecting fires as early as it can to allow for as rapid a response as possible.
She encouraged the audience to visit Honeywell at stand ME-B186 to ask any further questions.
Environment 100 2024 Ceremony
This ceremony provided a chance to celebrate the trailblazers of the environmental sector, many of which work within the waste and recycling sector. Hosted by letsrecycle.com editor Libby Stonell, each winner was gifted wildflowers encased in a wooden box engraved with ‘Environment 100 2024 Winner’ as well as a certificate to take home. Congratulations to the winners!
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