French and English councils helped to achieve zero waste economies

Essex County Council is leading an innovative new cross-border project to help local authorities in England and France transition to a more circular economy.

Project BLUEPRINT, funded by the Interreg France (Channel) England programme, sees partners in England and France collaborate to increase recycling rates, create new jobs and encourage long lasting behaviour change.

The BLUEPRINT model will give local authorities the tools, strategies and approaches they need to transition to a circular economy (the principle of designing out waste and pollution by reusing, repairing and recycling existing resources).

This model will help local authorities meet the UK and EU’s waste recycling target of 65% by 2035.

The project will also deliver a training programme to upskill 2,000 individuals, enabling them to secure jobs in the circular economy sector.

In addition, 78,000 residents in Northern France and Southern England will take part in a programme to change their recycling habits.

By the end of the project, 30 local authorities in France and England will be able to implement the BLUEPRINT model to kick-start their transition to a greener and more sustainable economy.

BLUEPRINT project has a total budget of 5.6m euros, of which 3.8m euros were awarded by the European Regional Development Fund via the Interreg France (Channel) England programme.

More information

• BLUEPRINT project summary
• Image credit: Steve Snodgrass via Flickr