Feedback Wk 2

What are your views on the proposed MRS principles?

The discussions at Workshop 2 considered a proposed set of MRS principles to guide the implementation of the strategy. Comments from each discussion group were recorded and have been transcribed below. The proposed Principles were:

The MRS will set out a series of strategic objectives, policies and actions to achieve its aims, and these will be designed with the following guiding principles in mind, to:

Recognise that changing people’s attitudes and behaviour is fundamental towards achieving material resources management.

Adopt principles of sustainable development to manage material resources efficiently and effectively (prudent use of natural resources, protecting the environment, ensuring social progress for all, maintaining appropriate and stable levels of economic growth and employment – and so improve quality of life).

Seek to supply materials of sufficient quantity and quality so as to be able to secure sustainable end uses and markets.

Move towards sustainable production and consumption where, as far as practicable, the use of Raw/Primary/Natural resources is reduced and the use of recycled/secondary materials maximised.

Use the best information available and have regard to the ‘precautionary principle’ in all areas of decision making. This means taking decisions having regard to the best available scientific research and data, adopting a precautionary approach in the assessment, management and communications of risks. This applies to all options and technologies.

Apply the ‘proximity principle’ – to deal with materials close to their extraction or point of use, and so reduce the need to transport them, whilst recognising the need for sustainable markets in what is, for some materials, a global marketplace.

Minimise the environmental impact of material resources transportation, through the use of water, rail, pipeline and conveyor in preference to road wherever practicable.

Involve all those likely to be affected, and create transparency, in the decision-making process through honest and inclusive consultation.

Monitor and review implementation and achievements under the MRS regularly, and amend policies and practices accordingly.

Table 1

Initial Views

Some principles are more like policies e.g. principle about transportation or this is necessary as a principle (alternative views).
What is the difference between principles and policies? Principles are more generic.
Group supported the adoption of principles of sustainable development
If adopting principle of sustainable development everything else follows.
Proximity principle: good but question how you would apply it to the New Forest and South Downs (most of Hampshire). Economies of scale vs. proximity. Need to balance different options.
Principle to monitor and review essential.

Amendments

Difficult to involve all of those likely to be affected, change to ‘seek to involve’, some people might not want to be involved.

Additions

Need to raise awareness before you can change attitudes and behaviour i.e. need to include awareness raising as a principle.
Want to use word ‘optimise’ in principles.
There should be a principle about seeking to involve national Government, influencing European Directives, widening the process to seek to influence others on the basis of what Hampshire is doing – seek to influence, co-operate and inform as a principle.

Table 2

Initial Views

The word ‘People’ needs clarifying – whom do you mean? – business, community, government?
Make provision in Hampshire for the waste and minerals that are produced.
Link in our principles and aims.
It seems that these principles need more explaining in order to clarify them e.g. Transport and use of roads and double collection.

Amendments

Waste hierarchy (reduce, reuse, recycle and recovery) should be changed to resource hierarchy, therefore needs to be translated and look different, probably have more steps.
Financial mechanisms for change and encouraging investment in new technology – both financial institutions and governments.
Will consider local environment and local environmental impacts in relation to all new facilities.
All new facilities produced will consider sustainable build and sustainable development (don’t want council blocks).
Change ‘Recognising that changing people attitudes’ to ‘seek to change people attitudes to’ – to make it more action annotated (still need to clarify ‘people’).

Additions

Resource hierarchy
Financial mechanisms
Local environmental impact and sustainable build for new facilities

Table 3

Initial Views

Could be reviewed at a global level – need to consider the bigger picture.
Need to consider local, national and global markets.
Need to consider ethical issues of sustainable markets and exporting recyclables to foreign markets and ensure that standards in the markets are suitable.

Amendments

Need to minimise any treatment of the resource – needs to be incorporated into the transportation elements.
Minimise environmental impact – look at on-site treatment.
Need to maximise information sharing and data dissemination – all information needs to be filtered to those people that matter.
Proximity principle – applies to raw materials not the finished product – need to sharpen up for clarity.

Additions

Needs to apply to all industry sectors and should act as a benchmark.
Third principle should be changed to ‘Seek and encourage to supply materials’
Need to include an adoption of an ethical policy for transporting recylcables to foreign markets.
No mention of WEEE and ELV resources.

Table 4

Initial Views

Changing attitudes must come first.
Need to also consider the point at which there is not continued growth.
Need to understand people’s behaviour and work with them to change habits.

Amendments

Need to change business attitudes as well.
Not about supply - but look for best available product or service to meet the need.
Sustainability - what level of economic growth. Emphasise quality of life.
Promotion of precautionary principle needs to be stronger than ‘have regard to’. Can this be reworded? Need to define precautionary principle in the glossary or explain better what it is.
Principle regarding transportation should also aim to minimise social and economic impacts, in addition to environmental impacts.
Emphasise that we are all affected.

Additions

Amend policies accordingly, feed back to government and amend local and national policy. Lobbying.

Table 5

Initial Views

First principle needs to be honest with public on problem with a view to changing attitudes - equal opportunities.
Third principle needs to capture affordability

Amendments

Second principle needs to be shorter and clearer - delete all words in brackets
Fourth principle again over complex - end at practicable
Too wordy, need to be more punchy
Keep the principles simple. Communicate them to public simply.

Additions

Second principle should refer to the need to make things that last.
Need more emphasis on cost.
Should be a commitment to make things as easy to the public as possible - e.g. colour coding on products
Communication
Need to capture affordability/deliverability.
Overall need to be punchier.
Target the young.

Table 6

Initial Views

Need to link all the principles to the aims. Education should be an ‘aim’ of the strategy.
Need to identify and draw together those principles that are ‘cost values’.

Amendments

Fourth principle: add ‘seek to influence others by using and developing best practice and lobbying’
Fifth principle: delete first sentence, start from ‘Taking decisions having regard to’. Include ‘the precautionary principle’ in brackets at the end
Sixth principle: as above - i.e. delete first part, start from ‘Deal with materials close to their extraction’. Include ‘the proximity principle’ in brackets at the end
Eighth principle: make specific references to engaging young people. Also there is too much jargon. ‘Awareness raising’ is missing
Ninth principle: need targets to be enable use to measure progress

Additions

Promoting diversity of solutions (e.g. commercial), also local emphasis and ownership, social enterprise etc.
Market development.
Also, whatever the strategy does it should consider people’s views, cost and ethics.

Table 7

Initial Views

Language is soft (e.g. ‘more toward’, ‘recognise’) - it is possible for the principles can be stronger without being aims.

Amendments

Is the third principle related to waste/recyclable materials and the fourth related to primary products? This is unclear.
Definition of sustainable development is problematic in the second principle.

Additions

Engagement - make the public/media understand why it is necessary to take action - make the battle against waste a campaign. Use all media forms to spread the message.
Is engagement part of a principal or does it need to be one on its own merit?
Create awareness of the need to act by engaging with the media and opinion-formers.

Table 8

Initial Views

Happy in general with the list of principles.
Regulation of sites means you cannot store materials and some materials have seasonal markets.

Additions

Actively promote the development of local markets for materials, supported by locally based research and development facilities and academic institutions.
Identify new markets for resources.
Use existing research establishments and opportunity for government funding.
New profession for ‘brokers’ to place materials on the market.

Table 9

Initial Views

Treating all waste as a resource is first and foremost - we should be reducing waste. Therefore there needs to be an aim which seeks to minimise waste generation.
A bit fluffy and wishy-washy - the principles need to be more pinned down. Some are more specific than others - Need to be more definite.
Need to be pragmatic about what can be achieved/delivered.
Issue of disagreement - can Hampshire County Council impose cultural change?
Changes in perception needed.

Amendments

Be more specific/definite - be smart!
Link in with the objectives.

Additions

Working to create/develop markets - attach to the third principle.
Waste reduction - underlying theme that needs reflecting.
Aim seeking to reduce quantity of waste generated.

Table 10

Initial Views

Proximity principle is key.
All seem fairly competent.

Additions

What about trying to minimise fly tipping?
Regulatory and fiscal instruments, being in time with the strategy.
Regulation and enforcement - needs adequate resourcing.
Need for small commercial operators to have facilities to offload their waste (must be affordable and accessible).
Balance between amenity/environmental considerations and the need for resources.
Scale of facilities - economics of scale mean larger facilities but local communities want smaller facilities.
More use of water/rail.

Table 11

Amendments

Principle 1 - need to highlight need for understanding in addition to changing people’s attitudes and behaviour
Principle 2 - decoupling resource use from economic growth – remove text within bracket
What is our definition of Sustainable Development?
Principle 3 - need to clarify if materials are recovered or primary or both (refer back to need for definition of material resources). Change ‘sufficient’ to ‘the right’
Do principles 4 and 3 contradict each other? Does 4 duplicate 2?
Principle 7 - delete text after ‘transportation’
Change principle 8 to ‘Seek to involve all those likely to be affected’ or ‘Provide the opportunity for those likely to be affected’

Additions

Economic viability – best environmental option isn’t always the best-cost option.
Cost Analysis
BPEO
Need to change perception of cost – possible link to principle 1
Non-financial costs
Longer term implications
Minimising environmental impact only refers to transportation – should consider wider ranging issues

Table 12

Amendments

Principle 2 – change to ‘more sustainable development’
Principle 3 – not clear as to subject matter regarding ‘materials’ (i.e. does it refer to primary or secondary sources?)
– add ‘all’ before ‘materials’?
Principle 5 – takes a bit of reading – could usefully be a bit shorter
Principle 6 – change to ‘as close as possible to extraction/point of use’?

relationship between development (type, scale, location) and extraction of primary materials

should be subject to limits

change to ‘close to point of production or use’ (delete ‘extraction’)

need to clarify ‘proximity principle’

Combine principles 6 and 7

Additions

Reference to cost effectiveness.
Specific reference to social implications.
A product is a product right through to just before it is waste. The diagram in first document needs to be part of the principles.

Table 1 (evening)

Amendments

Happy with first principle but add business and define ‘people’
Don’t understand principle 3, needs rewording to make sense
Remove ‘precautionary principle’ and change to ‘make decisions based on the information available’. Although other group members wanted to include ‘precautionary principle’. All agree to not take unnecessary risks. Need to clearly define precautionary principle.
Principle 6: agree but define materials and make sure takes ‘waste’ into account in the working (e.g. not just extraction)
Principle 7should work towards making transport cost effective. Agree to minimise environmental impacts.

Table 2 (evening)

Initial Views

Principles should highlight reuse and repair.
Would like to see definite, specific proposals for things like new railway lines. It’s not feasible – cost efficiency of principles needs consideration.
Further information for businesses to base decisions on there are currently big information gaps in reference to principle 5

Amendments

Where is the word incentive?
More of commercial focus to the principles.
Legislation, regulation, financial – carrot and stick approaches required.
Employment opportunities should appear.
There has to be an end value.
Proximity principle needs to apply to having more local facilities for recovery of resource.

Additions