MORE than £30m is being thrown away each year by households and businesses in the North East, it is revealed today.

That is the value of 2.6million tonnes of material which is dumped in landfill sites in the region.

Today a plan was launched to treat the region’s waste as a resource and claw back its value, creating new businesses and job opportunities.

The launch event, at the Hilton NewcastleGateshead Hotel, has been organised by the North East Sustainable Resources Board.

The plan, says the board, would see the North East leading the country in developing a low waste economy which extracts maximum value from throwaways by re-use, recycling, waste prevention and energy from waste.

The board was set up two years ago and involves private companies, local authorities, Government agencies and community groups.

It is chaired by Lord Jack Cunningham of Felling, who said: “Throwing away resources which are perfectly usable can’t go on. Landfill is becoming more expensive because of the landfill tax, and we will run out of landfill sites.

“We are consuming and depleting natural resources and demand will, inevitably, overtake what is available.

“Many of our valuable resources are still sent to landfill instead of being reused or recycled, while raw materials are becoming harder to obtain and the cost of bringing them into the economy is rising.

“Redirecting materials away from landfill is essential. It will reduce demand on natural resources and pressure on the environment, and generate opportunities for new business and jobs.”

A study by the board says a “significant proportion” of waste generated in the North East is exported to other parts of the UK and abroad, begging the question why this is seen as a resource elsewhere but not in the region.

The latest figures show in 2009 the North East generated 8.6 million tonnes of waste across all sectors. A third of that is going to landfill, although about 40% of household waste is recycled by councils.

The value of household waste which was dumped was £18m a year, and £14m for commercial and industrial discards.

Lord Cunningham said: “Our vision is an economy and society in the North East which maximises the value of resources that are currently wasted.

“Throwing out materials is an unnecessary cost. Resources that leave the North East for recycling are treated by others as valuable materials.

“We need to build a network of industries in the North East which would benefit from recovering the value of these resources.

“We need to reduce demand on natural resources and pressure on the environment and this plan is pivotal to that objective.

“It will help businesses to reduce costs, improve competitiveness and sustainability at a crucial time in the economy. This will ensure the region has the opportunity to lead the way.”

Speakers at today’s event included Tom Smyth, of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Hugh Morgan Williams, chairman of the Washington-based Canford Group and the North East Economic Forum, Farooq Mahammed, business development director of British Gas Community Energy and Paul Watson, chairman of the Association of North East Councils. The board’s plan outlines project areas that would place the North East at the forefront of achieving a resource efficient economy.

Hugh Morgan Williams said: “This is a great blueprint for improving the region’s resource management and developing a successful and sustainable low carbon economy.”

Projects identified

PROJECTS identified by the board, which is seeking partners to work on the ventures, include:

:: Organic food, garden and wood waste: identifying the best and most economic markets for this material.

:: Encouraging community groups and schools to become involved and contribute ideas.

:: An online resource directory for householders and businesses to identify recycling and re-use opportunities for their waste.

:: Identifying projects which will generate both heat and power from waste.

:: Challenging rules and economic barriers which hinder the efficient use of waste.

:: Providing people with information on buying decisions, reuse, recycling to create resource-efficient households.

:: Investigate the sources and reasons for the large volumes of retail waste which is landfilled.

:: Support businesses in creating a network of improved facilities for accepting and separating commercial and trade waste.