Moreton Bay Region businesses can now look to turn unwanted items into cash instead of paying to dump them.
Mayor Peter Flannery launched the ASPIRE Circular Economy today, a free new online platform that can help businesses to turn waste into revenue.
“This is a win-win-win initiative that protects the environment, boosts business opportunities, diverts waste from landfill and gives businesses a new income stream,” he said.
“It’s a matching service designed for businesses to exchange or purchase resources that would otherwise be discarded, so one business’s trash can now literally be another business’s treasure.
“Best of all there’s no middle man, just logon to ASPIRE’s online marketplace where you can trade business waste as a resource - for free!
“Examples of items include anything from old office chairs, paper, timber offcuts, to used vehicle parts, essentially anything you need to dispose.
“Aspire’s online platform sets businesses of up to 100 employees on the path to the circular economy by creating new supply chains, connecting businesses, building innovative solutions and helping everyone involved to recycle.”
Narangba business, Eckersley Print Group currently uses a circular recycling loop for all of its paper waste into recycled toilet paper rolls through a commercial arrangement with Australian Paper Collection.
They also recycle their cardboard and aluminium waste under similar arrangements.
Marketing Manager Lea Eckersley said the new ASPIRE online platform would potentially assist them extend their recycling operations even further.
“This is a great innovative initiative Council has taken onboard to support local businesses in the Moreton Bay Region towards reducing business’s impact on the environment whilst simultaneously creating a viable commercial outcome for waste management,” she said.
“Eckersley Print Group, holding both the ISO 14001 Environmental Accreditation and full FSC certification, has been significantly invested in environmental sustainability for several years and commenced the closed recycling loop of our paper waste into toilet paper rolls in July 2020.
“ASPIRE will not only make it easier for us to continue our commitment to recycling but open up new avenues to connect with other businesses around our region via this platform.”
ASPIRE is the first program to be launched as part of the implementation of the Moreton Bay Regional Council, Regional Economic Development Strategy 2020-2041 (REDS).
Council has set a bigger, bolder, brighter goal to double the local economy to $40 billion, generate 100,000 new jobs and become one of Australia’s top 10 regional innovation hubs by 2041.
Businesses with up to 100 employees will have free access to the ASPIRE platform, which can be accessed by registering HERE.