Each year, England generates about 100 million tones of waste from households, commerce and industry. A high proportion of this waste ends up in landfill. This perpetuates the demand for the manufacture of new products and hence the demands on finite natural resources, and also generates methane which is a potent greenhouse gas and can result in adverse effects on people and the environment.
More sustainable patterns of living will involve substantially reducing the amount of waste we produce in the first instance. There is also a need to re-use and recycle waste before disposing of non-recyclable materials, requiring new waste management facilities to be built.
Waste planning authorities need sufficient guidance at the regional level to be bold enough to allocate sites for recycling facilities in the most appropriate locations. By providing direction, this guidance will help authorities to avoid adverse effects on the environment and local population and also to encourage communities to take more responsibility for the waste they produce.
LUC and SLR Consulting Ltd were commissioned by East Midlands Regional Assembly to undertake three discrete yet interrelated studies:
1. Significant Waste Sites Study2. Waste Import/Export Study3. Spatial Planning Guidance for Future Waste Management
Studies 1 and 2 involved examining data on the capacity of existing waste facilities and transportation of waste, to gain a better understanding of how waste management currently operates in the region. This was drawn upon to inform the results of the third study which recommended a future spatial strategy for waste management. Study 3 involved developing a set of spatial options based on different numbers, sizes and types of facility, and an appraisal of their relative merits against a series of objectives. This was based on information in the Sustainability Appraisal of the emerging Regional Spatial Strategy, the Regional Waste Management Strategy and guidance in Planning Policy Statement 10 ‘Planning for Sustainable Waste Management’.
The result was a recommended spatial strategy and policy framework which is appropriate for different Sub-Areas in the region depending on their characteristics such as the distribution of the population and environmental constraints. This informed and strengthened the revision to the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East Midlands, which was published in March 2009:http://www.gos.gov.uk/goem/planning/regional-planning/
This was a satisfying and enlightening study, where LUC felt we could really make a difference to the way in which waste is managed, affecting people and the environment. Our thorough and systematic research was rewarded with the publication of our policy guidance in the Regional Plan.
