While councils have been set recycling targets for 2005, waste minimisation is also vital and the research will look at both waste management and minimisation. This is the first time that waste management has been closely looked at in the region and will form the keystone for a waste strategy.
Birmingham-based MEL Research will carry out research into the amount of waste produced in the region and the company will come up with a range of options for how the region's waste can best be managed over the next 20 years.
The work is being carried out in two stages and the first six-month research project will examine the environmental, social and economic implications of current approaches to waste management and minimisation and will review current good practice.
A waste strategy for the region will be produced on the basis of the research and will provide a set of proposals which should enable local authorities to “reach and exceed their present and future waste management targets”. The strategy should also help businesses meet their waste management responsibilities and the chamber hopes that by doing so it will stimulate the market for recyclables in the region.
Clive Leach, deputy chair of the regional chamber said: “Our goal is to develop a fully integrated “cradle-to-the-grave” waste management strategy for the whole region. By working closely with all of our partners we will ensure that the interests of commerce, the waste industry, the voluntary sector, local authorities and the public are taken into account. This strategy will ensure that Yorkshire and Humberside is able to manage its waste in effective and sustainable ways that bring clear economic, social and environmental benefits for the whole region.”
Bob Pocock, chief executive of MEL Research, said: “We are very pleased to have been commissioned to undertake this work. This is a unique opportunity for the regional chamber to improve the environment and people’s quality of life right across the region. By working together we can make sustainable waste management a reality in Yorkshire and Humberside.”
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