Hackney Wick & Fish Island Community Development Trust (HWFI CDT) is developing a Circular Economy Hub in the area which aims to reduce emissions from waste, promote reusing and recycling, and encourage more participation from the local community in a circular economy.

PRD, in partnership with Charli Bristow, has been commissioned to conduct a needs assessment of waste and last-mile delivery opportunities in the Hackney Wick area to support this process and identify recommendations for interventions and next steps.

For this research, we developed an approach that allowed for a rapid scan of local business waste flows. We used a blended methodology of desktop research and semi-structured interviews with selected businesses across multiple sectors, such as creative industries, workspaces, food & beverage, and fashion & textiles. The goal was to gain an overall view of their materials inputs and outputs and understand how waste could be used as a resource within their business operations. As part of this approach, we developed a qualitative material flow analysis (MFA) which provided us with specific insights into circular opportunities. We also used our circular economy knowledge and drew from best practices to define potential interventions and next steps for implementation.

Our findings enabled HWFI CDT to consolidate areas of focus and will support them to continue their journey towards circularity.