A waste and resources evidence programme to help deliver the Government's waste strategy has been outlined today by the UK Government.
The Waste and Resources Evidence Strategy 2007-2011 summarises the key areas where research will be commissioned and evidence sought over the next few years. The programme is seen by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) as an important element in the delivery of the Government's Waste Strategy for England 2007, which set out priorities on waste prevention, minimisation, recycling, recovery, and energy production.
Kerbside recycling (Photo: Cotswold DC)
This is the second Defra waste and resources research programme. Since the inception of the research programme in 2004, over 80 projects have been pursued, with a budget of up to £5m a year.
Key thematic areas for the new evidence research programme are:
- understanding economics and incentives
- effective regulation
- increasing resource efficiency
- stimulating investment in waste collection and treatment
- promoting shared responsibilities
- assembling, modelling and interpreting evidence
The change in this strategy’s name, from an R&D Strategy to an Evidence Strategy, emphasises the programme’s renewed focus on the wider evidence base, according to Defra. It is designed to have a stronger alignment with Defra’s corporate approach to evidence and innovation and takes into account the opportunities identified during the Waste Strategy Review process.
The new programme has been produced in consultation with stakeholders and Defra says that it will help to ensure that Defra's waste and resources policies are "evidence based, not evidence backed".
Among the areas of interest to the new research are:
- Measurement of the carbon impacts of waste prevention and management
- Use of the Flycapture database to help identify the drivers for flytipping and effective ways of tackling it
- Possible links between waste behaviour and age, income, or other social factors
- Whether producer responsibility gives the right incentives for product design and waste prevention, re-use and recycling
- The environmental impacts of biodegradable and degradable packaging. The confusion of the public on this type of packaging was the subject of a recent statement from the Waste Resource and Action Programme (WRAP).
- Collection methods and how they can lead to high quality recyclates. Also whether high recycling collection costs are offset by environmental benefits.
- Waste growth rates, why they have reduced and how do we continue to support this trend.
Waste Strategy for England
The 2007 Strategy has a new set of targets and indicators (including a new carbon indicator), places more weight on waste prevention and resource efficiency, and focuses action on priority materials, products and sectors.
Defra says that sustainable waste and resource management has a part to play in meeting its sustainability aims and targets. The aim of the Waste Strategy for England 2007 is to reduce waste by making products with fewer natural resources, thereby breaking the link between economic growth and waste growth. The intention is that products should be re-used, their materials recycled and energy from waste recovered. Landfilling of residual waste should occur only where this treatment option is necessary.
Commissioning of research
The various research and evidence projects will be commissioned through open competitions announced on Defra's website as the Department considers open, competitive tendering to be an important means of procuring high-quality research and also obtaining value-for-money.
The research will be open to all providers, though most projects are contracted to universities, consultancies and community-based organisations.
Research helps to inform new waste policies, so projects cover short, medium and long-term time scales depending on the specific needs of the policy area. Many projects from the first programme set up in 2004 have reported findings, whereas other recently commissioned projects remain ongoing.
Further information
The Waste and Resources Evidence Strategy 2007-2011 is published at
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/wip/research/index.htm
The Waste Strategy for England is published at
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/strategy