Manchester-based compliance start-up Dsposal has been awarded a five-figure government contract to help combat waste crime.
The company, which was set up by CEO Tom Passmore and COO Sophie Walker in March 2018 with the goal of making it easy for people to find the right place for their waste, has been awarded an £80,000 contract to research how to develop a smart waste tracking system for the whole of the UK.
Dsposal was one of five companies to be awarded the contract. It is also in the running to be chosen as one of two projects to receive an additional £500,000 of second phase funding under the new GovTech Catalyst scheme, which provides funding to allow technology businesses to win public sector work. If successful, the funding would be made available later this year.
Waste crime, particularly fly-tipping, places a huge financial burden on authorities, with councils spending £57.7 million to clear illegally dumped waste in 2016/17, while waste crime as a whole costs the waste industry approximately £600 million per year.
Tackling waste crime was one of the key themes included in the government’s Resources and Waste Strategy, released in December 2018, with proposals including the introduction of the electronic tracking of waste movements and Fixed Penalty Notices for householders whose waste ends up being improperly disposed of.
Commenting on the award of the contract, Sophie Walker, co-founder and COO, said: "Dsposal is the first interconnected, collaborative waste management platform for everyone. We’re on a mission to help tackle waste crime, promote waste as a valuable resource and drive the circular economy.
"Winning this contract is a testament to all the work that we've put in and reassures us that we're on the right track. It’s a huge challenge, the waste industry is very complex, but it’s also an enormous opportunity. We need to be bold and use this chance to do something transformative. Waste is in the public eye like never before and we must seize this chance to deliver solutions that move the country towards resource efficiency and help us deliver on the government’s ambitious Resources and Waste Strategy.”
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