West Midlands’ Circular Economy Routemap

• Identify and map existing waste infrastructure to determine gaps and investments required to support a transition to a circular economy.
• Identify and map existing transport infrastructure to determine gaps and investments required to support a transition to a circular economy.
• Identify and map existing energy infrastructure to determine gaps and investments required to support a transition to a circular economy.
• Convene partners to determine best location for a network of Resource Recovery Hubs.
• Develop project and funding proposal for a Resource Recovery Hub and for financially viable storage facilities.

• Work with local authority constituent members and other key partners to develop an investment programme to upgrade waste infrastructure (including reprocessing facilities, bio-packaging, anaerobic digestion).

• Work with local authority constituent members and other key partners to develop an investment programme to upgrade transport infrastructure (linked with logistics).

• Work with local authority constituent members and other key partners to develop an investment programme to upgrade energy infrastructure (linked with Energy Capital and other energy strategies).

• Create a network of Resource Recovery Hubs across the region.

• Launch investment programme for waste, transport and energy.

WMCA’s role is to lead in identifying key gaps in critical infrastructure which is required to enable a wider transition to the circular economy.

WMCA’s role is also to coordinate investments in these critical infrastructure and facilitate partnerships across a wide network of partners.

• Seven local authority members.

• LEPs.

• National government.

• Black Country Consortium

• Energy Capital.

• Transport for the West Midlands.

• DEFRA.

• BEIS.

• Build on the notion of the Triple Access System of physical mobility, spatial proximity and digital connectivity.

• Create an online map of existing shared space (including co-maker spaces, repair cafes, library of things etc.).
• Create an interactive online inventory of unused/idle/vacant spaces that community groups, social enterprises, volunteer organisations and not for profit can use (thanks to an easy booking system).
• Develop with partners a common model for local communities to build Circular Community Hubs (hubs can be easily replicated across the region but based on place-based characteristics and needs). This should align with the Social Economy Business Plan.

• Hold workshops with local communities and businesses to co-develop ideas for idle vacant and/or unused spaces.

• Explore opportunities to deal with existing landfill sites as many sites can be mined to recover plastics, metals and other precious resources.

• Invest in a WMCA Circular Community Hubs.

• WMCA’s role is to lead in identifying key gaps in shared infrastructure which is required to enable local businesses and communities to engage in

• Seven local authority constituent members.

• Circular Economy Club.

• Sustainability West Midlands.

• Black Country Consortium.

• SteamHouse.

• GBSLEP.

• New York City Crowdsource- Mapping: A citizen-driven project that created an interactive crowdsourced map of vacant spaces. The aim was to turn these spaces into community space such as gardens, farms playground etc. As of October 2016, over 7 acres of new community spaces have been created.