To BITES & Beyond Dr Tim Walker

Head of Waste Management, Belfast City Council

& President of the Local Government Technical Advisers

Group

Presentation

1. Background2. NI Context3. Arc21 work4. Traditional approach5. BITES6. Future issues

1. The rWFD & waste hierarchy

• “The following waste hierarchy shall apply as a priority order in waste prevention and management legislation and policy:– (a) prevention;– (b) preparing for re-use;– (c) recycling;– (d) other recovery, e.g. energy recovery; and– (e) disposal.”– Member States are to encourage options which deliver the best

overall environmental outcome, and departure from the hierarchy may be required where justified by life cycle thinking

Stopping waste at source. incl:

behavioural change,

Responsibility Deals

New targets?

A huge increase in AD

Towards zero

landfill

The waste hierarchy

• UK Household Waste (000 tonnes)

20,000

22,000

24,000

26,000

28,000

30,000

32,000

1996

/97

1997

/98

1998

/99

1999

/00

2000

/01

2001

/02

2002

/03

2003

/04

2004

/05

2005

/06

2006

/07

2007

/08

2008

/09

UK

England

Current trends in UK waste

2. NI Context

• “Aspiring to Zero Waste means changing behaviours – it means reducing what we use, reusing and recycling goods and materials, maximizing the use of resources. It also means thinking creatively and innovatively to produce a sustainable, dynamic, green economy.”

• Edwin Poots MLA, NI Environment Minister, 15 June 2010, Futuresource, London

NI Waste Management Strategy

Current recycling performance

The imagery

3. arc21 – VfM procurement

• 11 councils working together• Established in 2000• Critical Mass/Economy of Scale• Development of Common Terms & Conditions• Risk Balance e.g. pain/gain clauses• Payment mechanisms e.g. banding• Common Procurement Team• Shared Contract Management Services

Landfill – VfM Gains

Two Landfills Capacity

Management Strategy to deliver Best Value

arc21 Gate FeeVfM gains 09/10 –20%

MRF – VfM Gains

ANTRIM ARDS BELFAST C'FERGUS C'REAGH DOWN LARNE LISBURN N DOWN COMBINEDTOP OF BAND 3 30,000

28,000

26,000

24,000

22,000

TOP OF BAND 2 20,000

18,000

16,000

14,000

TOP OF BAND 1 13,000

10,000

8,000

6,000

5,500

5,000

4,500

4,000

3,500

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000 -

TONNAGE PROJECTED 2,172 2,364 7,908 1,000 1,212 3,096 1,920 3,792 3,312 26,776

Different bands attractdifferent charge/tonne

Band 1 = highest charge

arc21VfM gains 09/10 – 43.4%

Caddy Liners – VfM Gains

• 14,490,000 purchased

arc21 VfM Gains 09/10- 12.9%

4. Traditional view of council• Council focus on managing household waste

• Cleaning streets, refuse collection, leisure centres, parks, recycling centres &c in order to meet public expectations

• arc21 success demonstrates there are other ways to work

• Council has a less defined relationship with business sector – yet this generates 64% of Council income!

• And legislation continues to change

Changing behaviour

Changing approaches

• What did businesses need/expect?• The different expectations were

similar to the variabilities of householder expectations

• In response, – what can the Council offer? – What is the legal and legislative

position?– What support is business likely to

want?

Herding cats

• Existing support: (i) WRAP (ii) NISP (iii) Envirowise (iv) NIEA (v) NETREGS (vi) Invest NI (vii) Councils (viii) Carbon Trust (ix) Energy Savings Trust (x) ARENA, &c

• All have a similar goal – business improvement, employment security, better regulation, greener (sic) results

• Differing & isolated approaches, different agendas & timetables, different expectations & authority

Developing a common purpose

• Stakeholder engagement (business)• Audit of Council services• How to engage with business?

Economic Initiatives (EI) addresses improving business practices

• Recognised that “green” agenda was emerging but had limited knowledge

• Both Waste Management & EI started discussions ½ doz. years ago –“norming” & “storming” alignment of aproach

• Result has been the development of shared business plan on Eco-Development

• Seek to work with other agencies

5. BITES

• Business Improvement through Environmental Solutions: launched 2007

• Fully supported by other agencies

• Planned for 12 businesses, initially – 8 started, 6 finished

• Focus on (i) financial savings (ii) improved tender opportunities & legal compliance

BITES

• BITES 2009/10 – 12 businesses saved £250k +• Businesses committed to continual improvement• “Greening” staff translated into behaviour at home,

increased recycling, lower contamination, greater energy efficiency

• Question of establishing an Alumni!? • Scheme over subscribed for 2011• Potential to run more than one programme/year

Green BEN

• Green Business Engagement Network (BEN) – Council & other agencies invited to business networking events to highlight forthcoming environmental issues

• Green Procurement –meeting-the-buyer events alongside NHS, Sainsbury’s &c to highlight new prospects to businesses

• Focus on challenging perspectives at events such as Waste Week & EWWR

Questor

• QUESTOR Centre is an international network of academic partners & member companies/organizations

• Questor carry out a research programme based on members needs with emphasis on technology transfer & commercialization of research

• Main research clusters within QUESTOR are: water & wastewater treatment, waste & remediation, environmental monitoring & energy from biomass

• Council is a member organization• A new Centre – The Competence Centre for Sustainable Energy

(CCSE) will operate as a “sister” centre & will include other areas of research such as: turbine development, integration of renewables onto the grid & energy efficiency

• Planning at an advanced stage for a third Centre – The Innovation Centre for Sustainable Technologies. To take research from QUESTOR & CCSE to work with industry & Government to fast-track commercialization

• There would also be an education & training aspect to The Innovation Centre. It could also act as an incubator for spin-in/spin-out companies

• Potential to exploit the North Foreshore (N4S) for a business park or develop AD to support the production of landfill gas

Business Signposting Service

• Work with other agencies, Council first point of conduct – lack of understanding of possibilities, fear of prosecution

• Agree approach• Working jointly with EI to build

trust within business community

• Launch date due in April 2011– Brochure available– Web-based guidance– Direct engagement through

site visits, One-stop-shop– train staff, CIWM – Waste

Awareness Certificate• Benchmark with other

councils – Oxford CC + Leeds CC

Future issues

• Revision to Waste Framework Directive (rWFD)

• Change to definition of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)

• Possibility of targets against business recycling performance to household targets

• Energy prices increase• Better supply chain

management• Move to “Resource

Management” & Zero Waste