The 115-page document, 'Designing Waste Facilities; a key guide to modern design in waste', aims to help councils with the development of projects regardless of their size and scale or the technology chosen.
New infrastructure will only be built if local communities are happy and this means the best possible design must be applied to win that all important public endorsement. I hope this new guidance will help achieve that aim
Jane Kennedy, waste and recycling minister
It was produced by the department in partnership with the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), and covers facilities ranging from small community compost units to large Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants.
Waste and recycling minister Jane Kennedy explained that the guidance was expected to help promote the development of projects that would easier win the support of local communities.
“We are committed to making a big effort to reduce waste and improve our recycling ability,” she said. “To do that Britain needs new infrastructure for the better management of waste.”
“New infrastructure will only be built if local communities are happy and this means the best possible design must be applied to win that all important public endorsement. I hope this new guidance will help achieve that aim,” she added.
The document outlines key design principles, the design process, best practice and how best to consult the public on development plans, and while it acknowledges that councils will make the final decision about facilities, the guidance aims to help them to make the best decision.
Explaining the reasons for publishing a single, comprehensive piece of guidance, the document states that: “Waste practitioners currently draw inspiration from a wide range of disparate sources of advice on design.
“This document provides a central reference point that will allow professionals involved in the delivery of waste facilities to make better informed choices about the design of new developments,” it added.
A range of organisations, including the department for communities and local government, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM, the Environmental Services Association (ESA), WRAP, the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers (NAWDO) and the Environment Agency were involved in the creation of the guidance.
Over the course of its eight chapters, the document provides an industry overview, outlines the importance of good design and how to deliver it, examines the identity and role of stakeholders in the design process, looks at the elements of the design process and translating theory into practice and also how a proposed development can be delivered on the ground.
The document states that: “The focus is on the key decision-making steps in the development of waste facilities and how design issues should be considered, from the selection of sites through to the final design stages and post-development issues.”
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