SEA Scoping Report for Hertfordshire MWMS
Hertfordshire CC
DRAFT
September 2005
Scoping Report for Hertfordshire MWMS SEA
22/09/051
Report for:
Hertfordshire CC
Prepared by:James FulfordClaire Stonier
Project Manager
Approvedby: Dr Dominic Hogg
Project Director
Contact Details
Eunomia Research & Consulting Ltd
120 Cotham Brow
Cotham
Bristol
BS6 6AR
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)117 9426678
Fax: +44 (0)117 9426679
Web:
Disclaimer
Eunomia Research & Consulting has taken due care in the preparation of this report to ensure that all facts and analysis presented are as accurate as possible within the scope of the project. However no guarantee is provided in respect of the information presented, and Eunomia Research & Consulting is not responsible for decisions or actions taken on the basis of the content of this report.
Contents
1.0Introduction
1.1What is Sustainable Development
1.2The Hertfordshire Municipal Waste Management Strategy
1.3The importance of Sustainable Development for Hertfordshire Municipal Waste Management Strategy
1.4Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
2.0Plans & Programmes Relevant to the Hertfordshire MWMS
3.0Baseline Information
3.1Biodiversity
3.2Population
3.3Human Health
3.4Fauna and Flora
3.5Soil
3.6Water
3.7Air
3.8Climate
3.9Material Assets
3.9.1Recycling Performance
3.10Cultural Heritage
3.11Landscape
3.12Road Transport
3.13Social Considerations
3.13.1Employment
3.13.2Deprivation
4.0Key Sustainability Issues for Hertfordshire
5.0Proposed Sustainability Objectives and Targets
5.1.1Methodology Chosen for Selecting Relevant Objectives, Targets and Indicators
6.0Municipal Waste Management Strategy Proposals and Alternatives
6.1Waste Prevention and Minimisation
6.1.1Disincentives to Waste Generation
6.1.2Persuasive and Community-led Waste Minimisation and Prevention Activities
6.2Waste Collection for Recycling and Composting
6.2.1Doorstep Collection of Recyclable Materials
6.2.2Estates Recycling, Bring Recycling and Household Waste Sites
6.2.3Treatments for Source-separated Wastes
6.3Waste Treatment and Disposal Options
6.3.1Landfill Disposal
6.3.2Incineration
6.3.3Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT), Basic Stabilisation
6.3.4Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT), AD-based
6.3.5Mechanical Biological Treatment, RDF-based
6.3.6Gasification and Pyrolysis
6.3.7Autoclave Processes
7.0Next Steps
7.1Proposed Methodology for Appraisal
7.2Consultation
Scoping Report for Hertfordshire MWMS SEA
22/09/051
1.0Introduction
This scoping report sets out the background information and proposed strategic objectives, targets and indicators that will be used to appraise Hertfordshire’s Municipal Waste Management Strategy (MWMS) in the context of a Strategic Environmental Assessment. In doing so the document complies with the requirements for the content of the Scoping Report as set out in the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004[1] (the SEA regulations).
Whilst there is no legal requirement for a Sustainability Appraisal to be conducted on this MWMS, it is Hertfordshire’s intention that the strategy take into account and work towards the broader aims of sustainable development. As such the environmental appraisal required by the SEA Directive and transposed regulations has been widened to include appraisal of some economic and social issues deemed to be of relevance.
1.1What is Sustainable Development
Whilst there is no single definition of Sustainable Development, it is now one of the key principles shaping the actions of Government within the UK. It is a principle which states that whatever we do, both in our current and planned activities, we must consider the potential impact of our actions on future generations so that we do not hinder the prospects for a healthy and successful society in the future.
In 1999 the UK Government produced its first Sustainable Development strategy “A better quality of life”. This strategy set out four elements or ‘pillars’ to Sustainable Development:
Prudent use of natural resources[2]
Social progress that meets the needs of everybody
Effective protection of the environment
Maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment.
This strategy was reviewed in 2005 through the document ‘Securing the future: delivering UK Sustainable Development strategy’. This strategy states that:
“the goal of Sustainable Development is to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life, without compromising the quality of future generations”.
The strategy upholds the principles set out in the 1999 strategy, and sets out five guiding principles for Sustainable Development which are:
Living within environmental limits
Ensure a strong, healthy and just society
Achieving a sustainable economy
Promoting good governance
Using sound science responsibly.
Therefore, Sustainable Development recognises that healthy development does not simply imply the generation of wealth in the conventional sense, but that the environmental, economic and social consequences of our actions have to be taken into account, at all geographic scales.
1.2The Hertfordshire Municipal Waste Management Strategy
The Hertfordshire Waste Partnership (HWP) exists to co-ordinate the efficient management of municipal waste within the County. Its members include all Waste Collection Authorities and the Waste Disposal Authorities within Hertfordshire. In 2002 the HWP published a Municipal Waste Management Strategy (MWMS) laying out how the County will manage waste arisings until 2020.
The rapid pace of regulatory change, andfeedback provided by Defra regarding the strategy, have led the HWP to undertake to produce a revision of the strategy for consideration for re-adoption. The Waste and Emissions Trading (WET) Act made the preparation of Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategies (JMWMSs) a duty for those local authorities in two-tier areas, with some specific exceptions.[3] However, the policy guidance states:
“Long-term strategic planning is vital to all authorities in securing both the infrastructure and service developments necessary to deliver more sustainable waste management. It is government’s view that all local authorities should either produce or contribute to a Strategy or equivalent.”[our emphasis][4]
Whilst local authorities who are required to produce a JMWMS under the WET Act will be expected to have regard to Defra’s Guidance (and accompanying Practice Guidance) in fulfilling their duties, other local authorities, who are producing an MWMS are advised to have regard to the documents too. Hence, the revised strategy will be based on the guidance that is being published.
In addition to the necessary SEA, the scope of the revised draft of the MWMS will include:
An explanation of the current state of waste management within Hertfordshire;
Projections regarding the performance of the HWP under a ‘do-nothing’ scenario;
Assessment of initiatives for waste prevention and re-use;
Collection systems analysis showing potential for improvements to performance;
Organic waste and dry recyclables options appraisal;
Residual waste options appraisal;
Options for partnership working;
High-level action planning; and
Risk analysis and mitigation.
The process of preparing a draft strategy for consideration and consultation is currently underway and it is expected that a final draft of this document will be available for public consultation and member consideration in early 2006. This will be accompanied by the Environmental Report on the draft strategy and the alternatives.
1.3The importance of Sustainable Development for Hertfordshire Municipal Waste Management Strategy
Sustainable Development is directly relevant to the Hertfordshire MWMS. The amount of waste produced and the way in which it is managed has significant implications for the quality of the environment and therefore for the quality of life, particularly for future generations. Traditional reliance on landfill as a means of waste management is now recognised as being unsustainable, with void space diminishing and the creation of long term environmental issues relating to leachate and gaseous emissions. Furthermore, Hertfordshire is dependent on other counties for the provision of void space to enable it to continue landfilling. Landfill is not alone in bringing environmental and other difficulties, and ways of managing waste more responsibly must be found and adopted.
The MWMS will guide (along with the waste local plan) how waste is managed in Hertfordshire over the coming years. It is therefore crucial that the MWMS take Hertfordshire forward, working towards more sustainable methods of waste management which involves following the waste hierarchy, through the promotion of waste minimisation, re-use and recycling as its guiding principle.
The need for the move to more sustainable waste management is firmly established in recent guidance on municipal waste management strategies, produced by Defra. In line with its commitment to sustainable development, national Government policy seeks to break the link between economic growth and the amount of waste produced, and to drive waste up the waste management hierarchy of reduction, re-use, recycling and composting and energy recovery.[5]
1.4Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is a method of assessing the impact on the environment of certain plans or programmes. Its core objective is to
‘provide for a high level of protection of the environment and to contribute to the integration of environmental considerations into the preparation and adoption of plans….with a view to promoting sustainable development’.
Guidance provided by ODPM states that a SEA is a procedure comprising:
Preparation of an Environmental Report setting out the likely significant effects of a draft plan or programme;
Consultation on the draft plan/programme and the accompanying environmental report;
Taking into account the environmental report and the results of consultation in decision making; and
Providing information when the plan or programme is adopted and showing how the results of the environmental assessment have been taken into account.
Under the SEA regulations there is a legal requirement to conduct an SEA for Waste Strategies and modifications of Waste Strategies where the plans or programmes set the regulatory framework for future development consent for projects listed in Annexes I & II to the EIA directive, or require assessment under Art 6 & 7 of the Habitats directive.
Given that Annex II 11(c) of the EIA directive provides for ‘installations for the disposal of industrial and domestic waste’, where a plan or strategy relating to waste management makes way for development of facilities (not necessarily specific sites), an SEA will generally be required.
2.0Plans & Programmes Relevant to the Hertfordshire MWMS
Table 1 below provides a list of the main plans that are relevant to the development of the SEA for the MWMS. The table highlights the key relevant issues and objectives within each of the documents. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of all plans and programmes which exist. There are many plans and documents that might be considered to bear some relationship to waste issues. However, these are not plans and programmes which are likely to exert a directinfluence on the strategy (rather, to the extent that they may mention waste, the MWMS may influence them). To aid understanding of the key issues, only the main plans and programmes are listed here. Furthermore there is a myriad of legislation at national and international scales that is relevant to waste. These have not been discussed here.
For local authorities, the relevant plans are mainly scaled nationally, regionally and locally. International plans and European legislation are, for the most part, implemented in the UK through national legislation and policy and it is this to which local authorities must adhere and have regard. Therefore while many international plans (e.g. the World Summit on Sustainable Development) are important in guiding national policy towards sustainable waste management and wider issues of sustainable development, they are not directly relevant to local authorities. Another good illustration is the Landfill Directive. Local authorities do not need to have regard to that Directive, Rather, they must have regard to the implementing legislation in the UK (such as the WET Act, the Landfill Regulations, etc.).
Table 1:- Relevant Plans Considered
Plan / Relevance to MWMSInternational Plans
Waste Framework Directive / Establishes basic principles of EU waste management
Sets out what is deemed to be ‘recovery’ and what is deemed to be ‘disposal’
Sets out basis for application of proximity principle (i.e. to disposal facilities, not recovery facilities)
May set criteria, in future, for when ‘waste’ is no longer to be considered as ‘waste’
National Plans
Waste Strategy 2000 / The objectives of waste management decisions should be:
• Reducing the environmental impact of waste by moving waste management up the waste hierarchy;
• Managing waste in ways that protect human health and the environment and in particular;
• Without risk to water, air, soil and plants and animals;
• Without causing a nuisance through noise or odours;
• Without adversely affecting the countryside or places of special interest;
• Disposing of waste at the nearest appropriate installation, by means of the most appropriate methods and technologies.
Waste decision-making should be based on the following principles:
• Individuals, communities and organisations should take responsibility for their waste;
• In taking decisions there should be consideration of alternative options in a systematic way;
• Consultation should be an important and integral part of the decision making progress;
• The environmental impacts for possible options should be assessed looking at both the long and short term;
• Decisions should seek the best environmental outcome taking account of what is feasible and what is an acceptable cost.
Sets as national targets to recycle or compost at least:
25% of household waste by 2005
30% of household waste by 2010
33% of household waste by 2015
Set local authority-specific targets for 2005/6.
SA of local development documents to be carried out alongside the development of the strategy
Guidance on Municipal Waste Management Strategies / Sets out what the Government expects of local authorities when preparing MWMSs.
Emphasises (in line with WS2000) the importance of following the waste hierarchy as the primary aim, together with ensuring protection of the environment and human health in waste management.
States that key stakeholders and the local community should be engaged in the decision making process for MWMSs.
PPS10: Planning and Waste Management / Promotes delivery of sustainable development through driving waste up the hierarchy, looking at disposal as a last option.
Provides a framework in which communities take more responsibility for their own waste and providing sufficient waste treatment facilities.
Requires WPAs to allocate sites and areas such that sufficient opportunity is provided to developers to come forward with facilities to meet the requirements identified through the RSS, and apportioned to WPAs
Helps implement the national waste strategy.
Promotes protection of the environment and human health in waste management.
Promotes design and layout of new developments to support sustainable waste management.
Landfill Regulations / Bans certain wastes from being landfilled (e.g. tyres).
Specifies that hazardous wastes must be disposed of at specific landfills (where they are to be landfilled).
Sets strict limits on the disposal of municipal biodegradable waste to landfill:
By 2006 reduce BMW to landfill to 75% of that produced in 1995
By 2009 reduce BMW to landfill to 50% of that produced in 1995
By 2016 reduce BMW to landfill to 35% of that produced in 1995
WET Act / Gives WDAs powers of direction over WCAs to require material to be delivered in separated streams.
Requirement to produce Joint Waste Management Strategies (with some exceptions)
Provides basis for Landfill Allowances Trading Scheme (LATS)
Landfill Allowances Trading Scheme / Sets out basis for allocating landfill allowances to WDAs in England.
Establishes rules for banking, borrowing and trading of allowances
Provides for sanctions in the event that WDAs hold insufficient allowances to cover their landfilled biodegradable municipal waste
Household Waste Recycling Act / This Act requires that by 31 December 2010 all local authorities should collect at least two types of recyclable waste separate from the rest of the household waste. The circumstances in which they do not have to comply are where the cost of doing so is unreasonably high or where comparable alternative arrangements are available.
Renewables Obligation Order 2002 / Sets out which forms of energy generation qualify for Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs)
Sets out the proportion of electricity to be supplied through renewable energy sources in future years
Effectively establishes the value of ROCs and the waste treatments for which these are available
Air Quality Strategy for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. 2000. / Sets targets for local authorities for seven types of air pollutants. Local authorities must monitor local air pollution levels and where breaches are likely to occur, establish local air quality management areas.
Climate Change Strategy / Sets out the commitment to reduce emissions of CO2 by 20% below 1990 levels by 2010.
Regional Plans
The East of England Regional Sustainable Development Framework 2001. / Sets out the vision for sustainable development in the East of England region. Identifies priorities for action through the setting of regional objectives and indicators.Discusses how the region contributes to sustainable development.
Highlights the pressures on natural resources, the environment, society and the local economy.
Regional Planning Guidance for the South East. 2001. / Highlights the importance of sustainable development as a key principle in planning.
Draft Regional Spatial Strategy / Sets out 14 specific objectives for working towards a sustainable society in the area. Will replace the RPG once adopted. Objectives relevant to the MWMS include those relating to social inclusion, environmental protection, resource use and waste management and transport policies. Sets provision for housing growth which will have an impact on waste production. Policies ENV10 – ENV14 specifically relates to waste management and where possible, the MWMS will have regard to these.
East of England Regional Environment Strategy July 2003 / Strategy provides some high level baseline data for the region and sets out the key environmental issues for the region. Recognises that waste management is a key issue in achieving sustainable development, and that the population must take responsibility for their own actions. Sets as an aim the reduction of waste produced and reduce air pollution, both of which are relevant to the MWMS.
East of England Regional Social Strategy, May 2004 / Sets out aims and objectives for achieving a fair and inclusive society in the East of England. The MWMS should ensure as far as possible that the waste services offered throughout Hertfordshire will be accessible to all residents. The strategy should promote active public engagement in decision making and support the development of sustainable communities through provision of quality waste services.
East of England Regional Waste Management Strategy 2002 (published March 2003). / Sets out some core baseline data and 7 core objectives and issues being faced in relation to waste management in the region. The primary aim is to reduce the amount of waste produced, but also to be self sufficient in waste. The overall vision in relation to waste management is to create “a society which secures sustainable waste management,reducing the creation of waste and maximising recyclingand recovery so as to minimise the amount of materialrequiring disposal”.
The document sets out a series of 24 policies together with regional targets for waste management:
Household waste: Recover 40% of waste by 2005, 50% by 2010 and 70% by 2015.
Commercial Waste: Recover 66% by 2005 and 75% by 2015.
Biodegradable Municipal Waste: not more than 75% of 1995 levels to be landfilled by 2010, not more than 50% of 1995 levels to be landfilled by 2013, not more than 45% of 1995 levels to be landfilled by 2015 and not more than 35% of 1995 levels to be landfilled by 2020 (note – this simply implies that the region does not have to buy landfill allowances from the market).
The MWMS must have regard to the core policies, objectives and targets of the regional strategy.
East of England Regional Economic Strategy / Sets out 8 key goals addressing the sustainable economic development of the region. The MWMS has relevance to, and must account for the goals relating to social inclusion, being an exemplar region in using resources efficiently.
Local Plans
The Hertfordshire Waste Local Plan / Lays out the waste planning framework and policies until this year with the aims of reducing the amount of waste requiring disposal and its environmental impact; promoting the management of waste in accordance with the waste hierarchy; and to facilitate the provision of capacity to be self-sufficient in waste disposal requirements with facilities to be located as near to the source of arisings as practical.
The WLP covers the period to the end of 2005 and will be superseded by the Waste Development Plan currently being drawn up in accordance with the national Waste Development Framework.
MWMS for Essex / Sets out plans and proposals to pursue a recycling led waste policy with a target of recycling 40% of household waste by 2009/10 and using biological treatment to further reduce total quantity of material requiring landfill disposal.
MWMS for Buckinghamshire / Sets out plans and proposals to pursue a recycling led strategy which takes advantage of the proposed Colnbrook EfW facility, within the County, to reduce landfill dependence. This MWMS is currently being thoroughly reviewed with the next draft expected to be finalised by Autumn 2006.
MWMS for Bedfordshire / Considers plans and policies relating to all waste arising within and exported to the County. Favours a recycling led approach supported by incineration of all non-recyclable material. Aspires to discourage the import of waste for landfill and other treatment.
MWMS for Cambridgeshire / Sets out plans and proposals to pursue a recycling led strategy and proposes treating residual waste using EfW facilities to reduce landfill dependence.
MWMS for North London / Sets out plans and proposals to promote the hierarchy, the proximity principle and is intended to inform the specification for the authority’s next waste management contract due to be let in 2012. Main waste disposal methodology is to use the Edmonton EfW facility.
MWMS for West London / The authority does not currently have a published waste management strategy although one is imminently due. It is understood that this will provide for a recycling led approach supported by the EfW treatment of some residual waste. No waste disposal facilities are shared with Hertfordshire and the interaction between waste management in the two areas is weak.
Hertfordshire Quality of Life Report 2004 / Contains baseline data and general indicators relating to the quality of life in Hertfordshire. Includes topics spanning the sustainable development framework, including energy, waste, transport, health and employment.
3.0Baseline Information
To focus the appraisal and to ensure that the SEA picks up on the potential significant impacts of the MWMS, the current local environmental baseline needs to be highlighted. From this, together with other relevant documents, the key sustainability issues for Hertfordshire can be identified.This information can then be used to develop a set of relevant objectives and targets against which the MWMS can be appraised.