How to reuse wasted resources in your business

Finding reuse and recycling solutions helps businesses reduce waste management producers, while helping potential users reduce raw material costs.

It also fosters the development of partnerships between businesses, and offers networking and collaborative opportunities to small firms.

A business improvement technique called resource matching or industrial symbiosis provides businesses with the opportunity to match an excess of any resource such as waste, transport, storage, skills, capacity, energy, with other businesses that could use that resource.

Invest Northern Ireland's Resource Matching service works directly with businesses of all sizes and from all sectors. Experienced industrial symbiosis practitioners provide advice, support and guidance to businesses on resource efficiency, legislation and waste management.

Resource Matching Workshops are a key element of the service and facilitate businesses in resource efficiency and industrial symbiosis.

The Resource Matching Service also partners with trade organisations and research organisations to bring innovative and specific solutions to businesses.

Resource matching activities can include:

• advisory visits to review business production from raw material input to final product and wasted resources generated
• quick win workshops
• cross-sectoral networking
• identification of potential matches between business participants
• follow-up visits with businesses to progress synergies
• referrals to other Invest NI support

Relevant businesses can receive details of available resources and activities through emails, phone calls, visits and referrals to Invest NI.

The Resource Matching service can introduce you to a broad range of solutions including social enterprises, charities, and other third sector organisations.