Purpose
The purpose of this Policy Position Statement is to outline the
main issues with respect to the Government's waste strategy for
England and Wales, the potential for achieving this and to indicate
the implications for and role of CIWEM.
CIWEM's Position on Waste Management
CIWEM's aims relating to waste management are to:
1. Ensure that the UK Government and devolved
administrations, as appropriate, a) develop coherent and integrated
strategies for waste management at local, national and European
levels and b) promote the development and implementation of
European Directives that fully recognise both the interests of the
UK waste industry and human health and the environment;
2. Ensure that waste management plans and contracts for
waste management services contribute to sustainable development
particularly in terms of economic viability and protection of the
environment;
3. Ensure emphasis is given to minimisation of resource
use, including energy, to limit or eliminate adverse waste and
climate impacts;
4. Ensure that protection of the environment and public
health is considered at every stage of design, development and
operation of waste management facilities;
5. Encourage the implementation of waste options that
promote the top end of the waste hierarchy, creating greater
resource efficiency and optimise recycling.
The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management
(CIWEM) is the leading professional body for the people who plan,
protect and care for the environment and its resources, providing
educational opportunities, independent information to the public
and advice to government. Members in 98 countries include
scientists, engineers, ecologists and students.
Key Issues
Of particular concern to CIWEM are the following issues:
- CIWEM supports urgent revision of the current waste strategy,
building on existing achievements but focusing primarily on
resource efficiency with greater emphasis on waste prevention
and minimisation with increased producer responsibility;
In particular more should be done to:
- Assign more of the costs of managing downstream waste to the
producer;
- Improve waste segregation at source to prevent
cross-contamination destroying recyclate value;
- Clarify the role of waste recycling in terms of the waste
hierarchy;
- Create stronger motivation to shift attitudes and behaviour
towards waste, for example with financial incentives;
- Incentivise small and medium sized enterprises to improve their
waste management practices;
- Review wastes that can be reclassified as non-waste to
facilitate their re-use;
- Encourage mainstream green accounting through tax allowances
based on a coherent, Nationally based framework of carbon life
cycle assessment structures;
- Realise the immense potential for green jobs, skills and
products for export growth in the sector (environmental
services/recycling/green design) through appropriate fiscal and
regulatory environments;
- On the proximity principle basis, develop local smaller scale
Energy Centres, avoiding large waste incineration plants, saving
transport costs.
Context
Waste management is a global issue that affects us all at local,
regional, national and international scales with the potential to
cause harm to the environment and human health, and add to climate
change if poorly undertaken. Proper control requires concerted
action through the commitment of governments, industry and other
sectors. Solutions require strong and lasting partnerships.
Leadership and example are required for public support to be
engendered and strategies converted into practical, cost-effective
and environmentally sound systems. These should lead to a
reduction in unnecessary use of resources and energy, an increase
in recycling, an improved environment, an improved quality of life
and sustainable waste management practices.
CIWEM urges Government commitment for funding
and to work more closely with Local Authorities and agencies in
educating and supporting the general public, communities and
industry in good waste management practice. The Institution
also urges environmental and waste management professionals to
develop a better sense of partnership through engagement with the
public and the third sector organisations, using clear and readily
understood language in communications to foster the role of
waste as a resource .
Discussion
The UK generates some 430 million tonnes of waste per
annum. Whilst in recent years an increasing amount of
municipal waste has been diverted from landfill and recycled,
fundamentally we continue to produce too much waste. Each year as a
nation we have increased the waste we produce by an average of 3%
(although this rate may reduce in future years). This is not simply
a result of demographic changes but reflects a general trend in per
capita waste production. This waste must be disposed of in a
manner which meets European and domestic regulations and causes
minimal harm to the environment. The majority of municipal
waste produced in England and Wales is still either sent to
landfill or for thermal treatment. These methods may be
considered to be unsustainable, consigning otherwise useful
materials to land simply to fill voids, or where incineration of
waste occurs without energy recovery. Neither of these methods are
recognised as the most desirable waste disposal operation, being at
the bottom of the internationally accepted waste hierarchy, while
still not yet being fully replaceable with other technologies.
Legislation for waste management is becoming increasingly
stringent and more focused towards sustainability, raising the
importance of the subject at national and local levels. Government
has committed to sustainable development in which environmental,
economic and social objectives are integrated. Legislation,
strategies and implementation initiatives have been introduced to,
among other things, achieve greater levels of recycling of domestic
waste in England and Wales. A revised waste strategy for England
and Wales, Waste Strategy 2007, was produced based on the waste
hierarchy. While commendable it is felt that this is not enough in
itself to create the necessary downward pressure on waste
generation to break the link with economic growth. More attention
for example needs to be paid to the opportunities for waste
prevention in the commercial and industrial waste sectors, which
should continue to play a greater part in assisting economic
recovery.
European legislation now dominates the direction of waste
management generally. This includes instruments such as the
Landfill Directive, a range of "producer responsibility" directives
on specific waste streams such as packaging, waste electrical and
electronic equipment end of life vehicles and batteries and, more
recently, a revised Waste Framework Directive due to be implemented
by the end of 2010.
Domestically the increase in landfill tax and statutory
recycling and landfill diversion targets for Waste Collection and
Disposal Local Authorities in England and Wales, have created an
imperative to deliver on the commitment to improve waste management
and develop more sustainable methods of treating and disposing of
municipal waste.
Much emphasis is now placed on recycling but as an
environmentally sustainable solution, recycling is only part of the
answer. Product design and marketing still often ignore waste
management issues contributing to limited waste avoidance and,
through poor segregation, to mixed waste streams hampering
effective quality recycling. Greater resource efficiency and
minimisation of waste, at the top of the waste hierarchy
remain major targets in modern waste management practice. Despite
its efforts the UK is currently lagging behind many other European
States in this area. Improvements must be made to the system to
further promote minimisation of the production of waste supported
by a circular flow of resources and materials, designed to
facilitate reuse and recycling wherever possible.
Waste prevention and minimisation represent simple and effective
means of reducing costs to business and householders. While
voluntary initiatives have halted growth in packaging of
groceries for example, much more is required to increase the
accountability of those responsible for producing waste. A key
problem in tackling waste minimisation is effectively framing
requirements for the public and business as many consumers
currently cannot exercise control of the "wastes" that they buy as
product.
Current situation
Public Sector
Statutory recycling targets for each Local Authority for the
Landfill Directive are in the process of implementation as well as
the reduction of organic waste inputs to landfill through diversion
targets. It is up to each individual Waste Disposal Authority
how they achieve the reduction to landfill and for Local
Authorities to increase recycling rates to meet their targets.
To date some progress has been made to develop and implement
waste strategies that achieve significantly greater recycling
rates. A number of important issues including financial viability,
regulatory control and public perception have prevented Local
Authorities from taking significant steps forward to increase
recycling. Initiatives such as "50% clubs" and "Zero Waste"
campaigns will help, but further achievements will become
progressively harder without additional programmes and more
ambitious efforts that may include landfill bans, for example.
Private Sector
The (non-waste industry) private sector has experienced mixed
fortunes in its approach to waste management. Some larger
organisations with high profile trade associations have been able
to obtain benefits from waste and energy saving initiatives such as
the "Envirowise" programme. Studies show that this has had limited
recognition and the many smaller and medium size enterprises appear
to lack access to information or expertise. Regulation, on the
other hand, has extended its reach over the years as more producer
responsibility initiatives have come on-stream, hazardous waste
landfill has been restricted to vastly fewer sites and landfill tax
has escalated.
The waste management industry has experienced a shift in its
pattern of operation over the past decade or so. Fewer landfills
and requirement for waste pre-treatment have driven much of this
change, a trend likely to continue, and public sector procurement
has produced demand for long term, robust but challenging solutions
to deliver the diversion and recycling targets. Yet many
technologies beyond conventional waste to landfill or incineration
remain relatively underutilised. Composting has emerged with better
credentials but experience of pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion is
still limited. Further examination of anaerobic digestion in
particular should be encouraged.
Planning and Public acceptability
The planning process for new waste management facilities can cause
conflicts at both a national and local level. A lack of public
confidence and lengthy procedures mean that it can take many years
for consent to be granted to construct a new facility. This results
in considerable time and resources being devoted to the approval
stages beyond the design and construction of new waste management
facilities, slowing the achievement of mandatory recycling targets
and diversion from landfill disposal.
More needs to be done still to increase public confidence and
ownership of the solutions to ensure that facilities come on stream
when required. The Advantage West Midlands methodology for
site identification and Community dialogue could be usefully
developed as a National standard.
August 2010
Note: CIWEM Policy Position Statements (PPS) represent the
Institution's views on issues at a particular point in time.
It is accepted that situations change as research provides new
evidence. It should be understood, therefore, that CIWEM
PPS's are under constant review and that previously held views may
alter and lead to revised PPS's.
