CIWM kick-starts 2016 with a year-long waste crime campaign
With the financial and environmental cost of waste crime continuing to escalate, CIWM has launched a co-ordinated 12 month campaign with the announcement today that it will be contributing almost 50k to a major initiative designed to raise business awareness of Duty of Care.
The CIWM funds, matched by a similar figure from the Environmental Services Association Education Trust (ESAET), will support the delivery of the second phase of the Right Waste, Right Place campaign, which has already received £95k from Defra via the Environment Agency to deliver a Phase 1 generic campaign targeted at SMEs. Led by ESA with other stakeholders including CIWM, the first part of the project is close to launch and will be completed by May 2016. The additional funds from CIWM and ESAET will support Phase 2, which involves tailoring the campaign to specific SME sectors to extend its reach and penetration.
“CIWM believes that a more robust Duty of Care regime is essential for our sector; improved awareness of the requirements will deliver significant and widespread benefits right across our sector, including reducing the opportunities for waste crime by ensuring that businesses understand their obligations and have the right knowledge to avoid illegal operators,” says CIWM chief executive Steve Lee. “The Right Waste, Right Place campaign also complements other initiatives being rolled out, including Defra’s efforts to remind the general public of their responsibilities as part of its ongoing crackdown on ‘waste cowboys’1.”
ESA’s Head of Regulation, Sam Corp, said: “ESA is delighted that CIWM is supporting this initiative and the additional funding will help deliver a really compelling campaign. Better awareness of Duty of Care will not only help to tackle waste crime but can also lead to business benefits by encouraging companies to managing their waste more effectively.”
Planned to span the whole of 2016, CIWM’s own Fighting Waste Crime campaign will encompass a range of activities, from CIWM Centre Open Meetings exploring topics including fly-tipping and enforcement to free waste crime webinars for CIWM members. Skills will also come under the spotlight, with a renewed focus on training and qualifications, particularly Technical Competence and Duty of Care for businesses to help them ensure they are compliant. A dedicated section on the new CIWM website will provide access to archived articles and other information sources on waste crime and related issues.
Working collaboratively at a national level, CIWM will continue to liaise with Defra on waste crime, particularly on the further work outlined in the Government’s October 2015 response to the consultation on enhanced enforcement powers and other measures to tackle waste crime and entrenched poor performance in the waste management industry2. It is also an active member of the National Fly-tipping Prevention Group and a key stakeholder in the development of a National Litter Strategy announced by Defra at the end of last year.
