01.06.13
Policy perspectives, strategic insight and informed debate at CIWM Conference 2013
Source: Public Sector Executive May/June 2013
Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) chief executive officer Steve Lee outlines the focus of the upcoming annual conference.
What is the waste industry’s role in building a circular economy? Are product design and standards the best way to achieve real waste prevention? What does the future waste policy landscape look like? And how can this sector engage better with the public and local communities? These are just some of the questions that will be explored at this year’s CIWM Conference in partnership with ESA, taking place in London on June 11 and 12.
The joint annual conference, now in its third year, has established itself as a valuable forum for informed opinion and debate on key issues facing our sector. It is well supported by the relevant Government departments and as well as a ministerial keynote from waste and resource minister Lord de Mauley, an influential line-up of policy experts will join us this year, including Chris Pook, deputy director for Green Economy at BIS; Dr Colin Church, director of Climate, Waste & Atmosphere at Defra; and Soledad Blanco, director of Sustainable Resources Management (Industry & Air) for the European Commission.
The first day opens with a panel debate entitled ‘Essential building blocks in creating a circular economy’, which will bring together leading policy, waste, economic and design experts to share their views about the early steps needed to develop more sustainable materials and resource use models for the future.
Our sector has a key role to play in putting recovered materials back into the economy and supporting its waste-producing clients in their efforts to become more resource efficient; this will be a lively debate.
Moving on to more specific topic sessions, first on the agenda is the future of Producer Responsibility legislation and a look at whether the regime is fit for the future. Chaired by Scott Butler, UK managing director for European compliance scheme operators ERP, the session will cover the implications of the current EU review and explore whether the regime is effective in supporting local authority collection efforts and incentivising better design in the supply chain.
Hitting the headlines almost every week, food waste is major challenge in our society. Linked as it is to a wide range of other lifestyle issues and choices, effecting behaviour change in this area is complex, and there will be some provocative debate between experts including Rosie Boycott, chair of the London Food Board; Lord Deben, who heads up the Visionary Panel on Food Waste; and Hospitality Institute chief executive Peter Ducker.
Reflecting the likely focus on waste prevention by Lord de Mauley in his address, the final session on day one will explore what role product design and standards play in driving real waste prevention and how we can better engage people and businesses. It will provide the chance to hear different perspectives from speakers including Ben Walsh, manager for the Centre for Re-Manufacturing & Re-Use; Mark Cook, chair of REalliance; and Claire Atkins- Morris, head of Waste Management for leading FM firm Sodexo.
Moving into day two, top of the agenda is the energy potential in our waste and what strategies and mechanisms need to be in place to exploit this. David Wagstaff, DECC’s head of heat strategy and policy, will be exploring how we can harness heat to make EfW more efficient, and David Clarke, CEO of the Energy Technologies Institute, will be looking at future technology choices.
Debating the best policies, delivery options and infrastructure is all well and good, but when it comes to household waste, our industry also has to take the public with it. In a session looking at public perceptions about waste and the challenge of engagement and consultation, there will be some very welcome perspectives from waste reduction campaigner and blogger Karen Cannard, Mike Pyle, chief reporter at the Sutton Guardian, and Harrow councillor Susan Hall; as well as academic insight into public attitudes from Dr Richard Bull, senior research fellow at De Montfort University.
Day two concludes with a heavyweight two-part debate on current and future waste policy at both an EU and a national level, what these mean for both the private and public sector, and whether we have the right planning and finance mechanisms to deliver the necessary infrastructure. With a speaker line-up including senior EC and Defra officials, LGA environment board chair Cllr Mike Jones, Adrian Judge from the Green Investment Bank and Richard Blyth, head of policy for the Royal Town Planning Institute, this session is designed to provide strategic insight into the challenges ahead and we will be asking the audience to vote on some key questions.
We hope to see you there.