Program Looks to Boost Gypsum Recycling in UK

The Waste & Resources Action Programme started work on improving the recycling opportunities for gypsum waste, sourced predominantly from scrap plasterboard.

The aim of WRAP’s three-year Plasterboard Programme is to support the separation, collection and reprocessing of used plasterboard together with a wide range of market development mechanisms.

The program, funded through Defra’s Business Resource Efficiency and Waste initiative, is also supported by the administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

During the first year, the focus will be on developing both existing and new recycling processes and expanding the range of commercially viable end uses. In the next few weeks, a tender competition for R&D Projects, Operational Trials and Demonstration Projects will be launched to explore the opportunities for recycled gypsum in a number of different applications such as construction and agriculture, as well as examining opportunities for more efficient collection and segregation.

The R&D projects will look at early research into new applications, while the trials are designed to test both the practical and market viability of existing and new processes on a commercial scale as well as demonstrating the key benefits in a real life situation.

To shape the work of the Plasterboard Programme as it moves forward, WRAP took the first step towards establishing a new industry earlier this month when it held a meeting in London. The aim of the Plasterboard Forum is to enable full consultation at every level of the supply chain; from manufacturers, suppliers and users of gypsum products through to recyclers of gypsum waste. A report on the outcome of the first forum will be available shortly on WRAP’s new Plasterboard web pages, which can be accessed at www.wrap.org.uk/materials/plasterboard.

“We have to understand the needs and concerns of the supply chain, and the establishment of an effective stakeholder forum has been a priority for WRAP,” says Liz Goodwin, WRAP’s director of materials. “Consultation will be essential to the delivery of sustainable recycling solutions for gypsum waste in future.”

Moving forward, a key part of the program will also be a range of support mechanisms for small businesses involved in reprocessing plasterboard or using recycled gypsum, including business and investment advice through WRAP’s Business Development Service.