The role of community waste prevention

1
The role of community waste prevention advisors
in West Sussex
Phil Townrow (West Sussex County Council Waste
Prevention Advisor) Ryan Woodard (University of
Brighton)
2
Outline

• The move towards waste prevention
• West Sussex Waste Prevention Advisors
• Impact and benefits

3
Municipal waste recycling rate in England
(source DEFRA)
4
Waste hierarchy

• Reduce
• Reuse
• Recycle
• Energy Recovery
• Landfill

Increasing levels of sustainability
Reduce Reuse Recycle
5
West Sussex waste prevention
Plus DVDs Many events throughout the county
District and borough initiatives http//www.recyc
leforwestsussex.org/
6
Cox et al. 2006
a community based approach can be effective in
areas such as waste prevention and recycling
where the public might be reluctant to change
their behaviour or to be persuaded that there is
a case for change
7
Waste Prevention Advisors

• Interactive approach
• Project led by West Sussex CC in partnership with
  districts and boroughs
• Training and coordinated by the University

19/2/07 Argus
8
Project so far.

• Currently over 60 advisors promoting waste
  prevention throughout West Sussex
• 40 hours of training
• Delivered a variety of ways
• Volunteers from 20-80 years old

9
Interactive training
10
Actual activities (over 150 activities so far)

• School talks and workshops
• Scouts/brownies
• Information point for housing association
• Helping at council road shows
• Real nappy week and composting week
• Taking knowledge into the work place
• Communal composting schemes
• Workshops with community groups

11
British Airways Open Day
12
Presentation to Swaminarayan Hindu Temple
13
Diwali at Swaminarayan Hindu Temple
14
Benefits

• Advisors volunteer opportunity, life long
  learning, support to develop own initiatives
• Local authority increase in profile, new
  opportunities to engage and closer relationship
  with public
• University interaction with local community,
  joint sharing of knowledge and experience with
  WPAs, research opportunities

15
Conclusions

• Using advisors members of the community is an
  effective approach
• Excellent example of local authorities, industry,
  community and academia working together
• Two further courses this year

16
Project website
17
Thank you
Dr Ryan Woodard 01273 642391 rw95_at_brighton.ac.uk w
ww.brighton.ac.uk/werg/