CIWM has asked employers across the resources and waste sector to sign a new Think Again Pledge, as the body sets out to help fill a workforce gap the industry says it cannot currently close. The £24 billion sector needs another 68,000 employees by 2036 to meet rising demand for recycling, remanufacturing and recovery services, according to figures published today (18 June).

The pledge sits at the centre of a 12-month presidential campaign led by Vicki Hughes, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management's president. Research commissioned by CIWM found that the sector lacked visibility and clear positioning in the jobs market, and that the word "waste" often deterred people from looking at roles before they had started.

This recruitment task runs alongside planned investment of a further £15 billion in remanufacturing, recycling and recovery services and infrastructure, as the UK endeavours to move towards higher recycling rates and greater resource efficiency. The campaign argues that the sector cannot staff that expansion while its public image remains tied to bin lorries and rubbish.

The campaign has three stated aims: to change how the sector talks about itself, to secure practical commitments from employers through the pledge, and to reach potential recruits outside the sector's traditional networks, including schools, colleges, universities and professions such as design, manufacturing and engineering.

"One of the biggest misconceptions is that we only need people with waste and recycling experience. In reality, we need talent from almost every professional background," said Hughes. She pointed to openings across design, engineering, finance, communications, technology, planning, operations and environmental management.

Signatories commit to five practical actions:

• Rethinking language and identity to remove stigma and reflect the sector's value
• Raising the visibility of the careers available
• Creating clearer career pathways for new entrants and returners
• Championing flexible and inclusive workplaces
• Showcasing the impact and opportunity within the sector

Organisations can sign the pledge and access supporting guidance and tools at the campaign website. CIWM says it will continue to develop resources through the year, working with employers to profile real roles and reach audiences that have not previously considered the sector.

The picture CIWM describes is not new. In 2023 the body warned of a growing skills and labour shortage and called for additional government support, estimating a green skills deficit of around 70,000 people and forecasting that the sector would need hundreds of thousands of additional practitioners by 2040. The Think Again campaign reframes that shortage as a perception problem as much as a supply one, placing the responsibility on employers to change how roles are described and presented.

"If we want to build the workforce of the future, we must first help people think differently about the opportunities that exist today," Hughes said.