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Article I – Preliminary
1) Definitions
“Storage” means all operations intended to keep
or contain wastes and other hazardous, toxic or
“BPEO” means Best Practicable Environmental radioactive substances for the purpose of
Option; this is the option that provides the most treatment, transportation or disposal.
benefits or least damage to the environment as a
whole, at acceptable cost, in the long term as well “Transporter” means an entity engaged in the off-
as in the short term. site transportation of waste by air, rail, highway or
water and is anyone who transports the trackable
“Competent Agency” where referenced, refers to waste from its place of production or storage to
the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment or another location.
its designated representative.
“Treatment” is any means or technique of altering
“DC” refers to Decision Criteria. the physical, chemical or biological properties of
wastes used to neutralize such wastes; utilize
“Disposal” means the discharge, deposit, substances or energy contained therein or released
injection, dumping, spilling, leaking, or placing of by them; and transform the hazardous wastes into
any waste into or on any land or water so that such wastes that are non-hazardous, less hazardous or
waste or any constituent thereof may enter the safer when transported, stored, disposed of,
environment or be emitted into the air or prepared for storage, or reduced in volume.
discharged into any waters, including ground
waters. “white goods” Are domestic appliances including
but not limited to washing machines, dish-washers,
“EIA” refers to Environmental Impact Assessment. fridges and freezers.
benefit to the environment, society and the a) The concept of Best Practicable Environmental
economy and is therefore one of the key principles Option (BPEO) was first introduced in the United
to guide progress towards more sustainable waste Kingdom in 1976. BPEO was promoted as an
management practice. The BPEO concept is thus “optimum combination of available methods of
clearly consistent with the objectives of sustainable disposal so as to limit damage to the environment
development. [as a whole] to the greatest extent achievable for a
reasonable and acceptable … cost]”.
c) The aim of this Guidance note is to provide
PME with a stepwise route through the process of b) In 1988, a formal definition and procedure for
deciding preferred BPEOs. The process and tools BPEO was developed as: “the outcome of a
described in this document set out a path to follow systematic and consultative decision-making
and are designed to ensure that a clear audit trail procedure .… the option that provides the most
of how BPEO, for a particular waste stream, can be benefit and the least damage to the environment
decided and recorded. [across air, water and land] as a whole, at
acceptable cost, in the long term as well as in the
d) PME is charged with protecting the natural short term.”
environment and therefore is obliged to issue
controls over waste activities in KSA. This c) The importance of BPEO as a key policy
guidance document aims to assist in minimising imperative is recognised, such that selected
harm and ensuring the protection of the policies must represent the best balance of social,
environment, taking account of what is affordable environmental and economic costs and benefits,
and practicable. after full consideration of the BPEO and the
principles of sustainable development.
5) Scope
d) Decisions on waste management should be
based on a local assessment of BPEO and account
a) For each waste stream, as classified in the
should be taken of the waste hierarchy, the
Waste Classification Standard, there are a variety
proximity principle and self-sufficiency. Local
of alternative approaches available to ascertain the
planning strategies for waste management should
BPEO for waste disposal.
be based on a BPEO assessment at the regional
level.
b) The BPEO for a particular waste stream may
vary determined by local circumstances affecting
e) BPEO involves the analysis of alternatives. The
the practicality, cost, and environmental and social
preferred option is that which minimises harm to the
benefits that take into account national objectives
environment as a whole, taking account of what is
for sustainable waste management. The choice is
affordable and practicable. Hybrid tools to identify
therefore complex and considers many different
the “Best Practicable Planning Option” have been
factors when recommending the preferred BPEO.
developed, in which environmental criteria are
assessed alongside social and economic factors
important in planning processes.
6) Exemptions f) Each integrated waste management option will
have a range of impacts on the economic,
a) Specific exemptions may be specified within this environmental and social objectives that comprise
standard at any point where relevant to the Article the concept of sustainable development. The
that they are common to; however as this is a preferred option is that which provides the most
guidance standard these may not be enforceable. benefit, and/or least damage, overall. In practice,
the options available are likely to have different
advantages and disadvantages, and the preferred
7) Periodic review option will not be readily apparent. Identification
and justification of BPEO will therefore require a
transparent analysis of option performance, as well
a) As a minimum, the Competent Agency shall as articulation of the relative significance of the
undertake a periodic review of this standard every criteria employed to assess the options.
5 years.
b) Where new information suggests that Article III – The Key Issues?
adjustments are required to this standard, all
changes will be subject to the appropriate a) There is often no single measure or package of
consultation and will be notified to facilities by the measures which represents a “best option”. Various
Competent Agency. combinations of unit processes can produce similar
social, environmental and economic outcomes. The
preferred option is generally one that can be
delivered in the prevailing political climate.
Article II – The BPEO Concept
b) Furthermore, what might be preferred in the
short term could be obsolete or ineffective in the
long term, not least because of changes in waste course of determining BPEO. There is also an
composition. Conversely, options that are not important role for stakeholders, in contributing to
“practicable” can be made so by applying targeted the assessment of waste management options
economic instruments such as environmental taxes. against qualitative criteria and the evaluation of the
relative significance of criteria. This guidance
c) A preferred strategic solution at local scale may document recommends the use of a series of
not offer optimum environmental or cost benefits at workshops to fully engage the stakeholders in the
regional scale. A rigid interpretation of the waste process, and ensure accountability to them.
hierarchy will constrain a BPEO assessment by
typically closing off options such as incineration or e) BPEO is a transparent methodology, showing
landfilling, both of which are essential components how conclusions were reached. Using sensitivity
of a balanced waste strategy. analysis, BPEO demonstrates the robustness of the
option to changes in the assumptions and to other
d) Although a “preferred” option will be generated inputs upon which it is based. This openness will
from among the alternatives constructed, it may secure public confidence, and should facilitate the
nevertheless be sub-optimal compared to a less procurement of new waste management facilities in
constrained combination of options. due course.
e) BPEO has evolved into a highly technical f) This guidance document provides a stand-alone
exercise, necessitated by the need to quantify harm methodology to PME for determining BPEO.
to the environment. Furthermore, there may be other approaches to
identifying BPEO that PME might choose to adopt.
f) Moreover, the environment is but one material However, these approaches must clearly
consideration along with others such as demonstrate that they adhere to the basic tenets of
employment, visual impact and local amenity the concept - namely that:
considerations.
i) a full set of options is compared;
g) The BPEO approach implicitly recognises that
the preferred option may differ from location to ii) performances are assessed against all
location because of variation in local needs, relevant criteria;
resources, impacts and the relative significance of
criteria. Nevertheless, because of the nature of the iii) the relative significance of criteria is
analysis required, the concept is not sufficiently addressed explicitly;
precise to be used to justify the selection of specific
sites, but is appropriate to use in conjunction with iv) sensitivity analysis is conducted to
broad areas of search. demonstrate the robustness of the
methodology; and
k) Local impacts should be addressed through
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) once the v) the process of determining BPEO is
BPEO has been identified and specific sites are transparent.
being sought, with alternative sites addressed
through the comparison of alternatives in EIA to g) Mention is made in this Guidance Document of
determine the best 'practicable' option which the use of workshops. Although this is not
delivers best value. compulsory, it is felt that workshops provide an
excellent forum for the open discussion and review
of plans, and transparency is a key requirement of
Part IV – The BPEO Process the BPEO process. It is therefore strongly
recommended that the workshop structure be
a) The BPEO process is broken down into ten adopted.
simple steps, which start by defining the objectives
of the work. 1) Step 1: Define Study Objectives
b) The BPEO process uses Decision Criteria (DC) d) Option Mapping is a visual methodology that can
as a means to perform that assessment. The DC be used to facilitate the selection of sets of methods
are the set of factors that have to be taken into to develop integrated waste management options.
account when assessing the options. The criteria
are grouped into sections such as ‘Environmental’ i) The first task is to define a suitable list
and ‘Economic’. of waste management methods. Part VI
of this Guidance Document presents a
c) As the DC will have such a strong bearing on the number of methods under each of seven
choice of the final BPEO, they should be identified headings and lists some points to
before the options, so that the temptation to fit consider against each. At least two
criteria to options is diminished. methods should be selected under each
heading, with consideration given to all
d) However, the process does not stop at controlled wastes.
identification. It is also necessary to agree upon a
suitable means of scoring the performance of the ii) The next step is to select compatible
options against those criteria that embrace the combinations of methods to develop
stakeholders’ perceptions of what each criterion complete and integrated waste
represents. In Step 6, the criteria will be assessed management options. These must
against one another, so that their relative include methods of waste
importance is quantified. collection/transfer and final disposal as
a minimum, but may also include
e) Part V of this Guidance Document presents the various combinations of the other
recommended list of DC. The first step in this part techniques.
of the process is to review the DC for local
relevance. While none of the criteria should be e) To use Option Mapping to help with this process,
removed, it might be that there are other local draw up seven well spaced and large circles - to
factors that have not been suitably covered. In this represent the seven categories (see Figure 1). Next
instance, it is acceptable for criteria to be added to to the large circles, draw smaller circles to
the list. represent each of the methods in that category.
Where methods are compatible, indicate that
f) At the same time as agreeing what DC should be resonance by drawing a solid line between the
used to rate the options, it is worthwhile considering small circles. Where methods clash, mark that
how to assess the options against those DC. Could incompatibility with dotted lines.
a life cycle assessment tool be used, or is a
qualitative score from one to a hundred based on f) Figure 1 – Option Mapping Diagram, indicates
expert judgement appropriate? Again, Part V of this schematically such a process. Method 1 in the
Collection & Transfer category might be ‘Kerbside
collection of green waste’, with Method 2 of drop the option at this stage, before a complete
‘Composting’ being ‘Open cell composting’. Clearly evaluation is undertaken.
there is a synergy between these methods, so a
solid line is drawn between them. Conversely, if b) For options that do not meet one or more of the
Method 2 of Final Disposal is ‘Landfill’, this is less constraints, there is likely to be less value in
compatible with ‘Kerbside collection of green waste’ assessing them further. The decision may therefore
(why separately collect green waste and then be taken at this juncture to drop the option entirely,
landfill it?), so a dotted line is drawn between them. or perform a first round of iteration, to refine the
Representing such relationships diagramatically is option so that it does not breach the constraints.
obviously not compulsory, but it does make it This process should be included as part of the
simpler to picture the methods and understand how procedure for Workshop 2.
they might be combined to generated integrated
options. c) With the completion of the work on the
constraints, the options are ready for evaluation.
Before this takes place, it is worthwhile (though not
obligatory) to summarise them in their current
Figure 1 – Option Mapping Diagram (Example) format. This can be done by drawing up a flow
diagram for each option, showing how the waste
moves from sources to treatment and disposal, with
information on the number and size of new
installations.
between the options, with the most important three options for the shortlist, at the expense of the
options getting more points than the others, others.
depending on how much more important they are
perceived to be. The number of points awarded to b) However, before the shortlist is finalised, it is
each option is open to debate among the crucial to check that the basis on which those
stakeholders, and consensus decisions must be options were chosen is robust. This is done through
reached. sensitivity analysis.
g) This approach forces the stakeholders to talk c) Sensitivity analysis is an absolutely critical part of
about their opinions on the relative performance of the BPEO process, and one which is too frequently
each option as judged against the DC. This open treated with insufficient rigour. Its essence is to
technique should facilitate the sharing of thoughts investigate how susceptible the Final Option Scores
and further the group understanding of how various are to the ratings assigned during the evaluation
stakeholders perceive both the options and the DC. process - in particular, those ratings that are the
least robust.
6) Step 6: Weight Decision Criteria
d) Sensitivity analysis is done by examining, where
options scores are least certain, or DC weightings
a) With scores assigned to all the options against
least concordant, whether changes in those ratings
all the DC, the relative importance of the DC
have a large effect on the Final Option Scores. If
against each other. This is done now because the
they do, it is important to flag in the overall record of
assessors have information regarding the nature of
the process that the decisions made are sensitive
each DC, how the options were rated against each
to changes in those variables.
one, and the range of scores.
e) During the first round of option assessment,
b) In order to fully assess the importance of each
sensitivity analysis should focus on the clear
DC, it is necessary to consider not only the
winners and losers, to confirm that their Final
absolute importance of the DC, but also the
Option Scores are robust.
significance of the difference between the highest
and lowest rated options.
9) Step 9: Create Shortlist
c) The favoured method of weighting the DC is
exactly analogous to the scoring of the options a) The above work will have generated a list of
against qualitative DC, presented above. The integrated waste management options, each with a
stakeholders are given a set total number of points Final Option Score and some idea of how robust
to distribute between the DC, and agree by that score is to changes in the underlying data and
consensus. Again, this approach forces the assumptions from the sensitivity analysis. Any
stakeholders to talk about the DC, and should options that are clear losers, that is, which score
clarify any misunderstandings on the meanings of poorly yet have a robust score, can now be
the DC. dropped from consideration. It is quite likely that the
‘Do Nothing’ and ‘Do Everything’ options might both
7) Step 7: Generate Final Option Scores be eliminated at this stage.
more of the DC weightings or the data used to The following sections provide detailed guidance on each
generate the option scores, it may also be Decision Criterion in terms of:
worthwhile to revisit these matters and consider
alternative methodologies. A brief introduction to the issue and its
relationship with waste management;
e) Having iterated the new lead options, a clear
winner may emerge, or the systems may perform Examples of the sorts of questions users should
comparably well, within the accuracy of the method or could ask in appraising an option against the
as shown by the sensitivity analysis. If the latter is criterion; and
the case, a further iteration of a new hybrid may be
necessary, in order to determine the final best Information on some of the tools available for
combination. appraisal of each criterion and sources of
information that may be useful when undertaking
10) Step 10: Identify the BPEO the appraisal.
When assessing a waste management system b) For each management option the production of
option in terms of its impact on land and water the global warming gases should be considered by
following questions can be asked: asking the following questions:
i) Will the management system option i) Will the waste management option
result in an increase or decrease in require an increase or decrease in fossil
releases to or contamination of surface fuels used for transport and processing?
water, groundwater or soil from deposits
or processing of waste? ii) Will the management option result in an
increase or decrease in emissions of
ii) If so, which elements of the option are greenhouse gases?
predicted to cause the pollution?
iii) What greenhouse gases will be emitted
iii) What pollutants will be released to and in what quantities?
which media and in what quantities?
iv) What will be the impact of these gases
iv) How hazardous are the pollutants? in terms of carbon dioxide equivalents?
v) What impact will they have on soil or v) How will this change the level of
water quality? greenhouse gas emissions in the area
and from the waste industry?
vi) What is the current quality of surface
water, groundwater and soil in the area? vi) Will landfill gas recovery and
combustion convert methane to less
vii) What are the expected impacts of potent carbon dioxide and reduce
changes in soil or water quality on greenhouse gas emissions?
environmental resources, human health
and the economic value of the vii) Will increased re-use or recycling
resource? reduce greenhouse gas emissions from
use of primary raw materials?
viii) Will there be any other effects, for
example on quantities or flows of water viii) Will energy recovery from waste
or erosion of soils, as a result of the substitute for fossil fuel use?
option?
D) Local Amenity
C) Global Climate Change
a) Low noise levels, as well as low levels of traffic,
a) Any option employed for waste management will dust and odour, attractive buildings, streets and
lead directly or indirectly to emissions of public spaces are important aspects of local
greenhouse gases contributing to climate change. amenity. Waste management options will have
The main sources of these gases will include: differing potentials to impact on these and other
aspects of local amenity.
i) carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles
used to collect and transport waste; b) When considering a waste management system
option in terms of its likely effect on local amenity
ii) carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles, the following questions should be asked:
machinery and apparatus used to
process, treat, move and dispose of i) Will the waste management option
waste; impact on levels of odour and noise?
iii) carbon dioxide emissions from energy ii) What is the expected impact of the
used to power waste facilities; option on vehicle kilometres travelled,
traffic levels, congestion, risk of
iv) methane emissions from waste accidents, etc.?
decomposition;
iii) Are there opportunities to transport
v) carbon dioxide emissions from waste by rail or sea?
composting operations;
iv) Will new infrastructure have the
vi) carbon dioxide emissions from burning potential for adverse visual impacts and
waste; and are there areas of landscape or visual
sensitivity in the area which should be
vii) carbon dioxide emissions from burning avoided?
landfill gas.
v) Will it be difficult to find locations for new and landscapes. Impacts on cultural heritage could
infrastructure which are not sensitive in arise from waste management options which
landscape and visual terms? involve developments directly or indirectly affecting
cultural features or their setting.
E) Natural Heritage
b) Questions to ask when appraising the effects of
a) Potential impacts on natural heritage which could waste management options on cultural heritage
arise from the development of waste management include:
options include impacts on habitats and species,
predominantly from the development and operation i) Is the management system option likely
of new waste management infrastructure and to involve new infrastructure involving
transport operations. new development or earth works?
b) Specifically, these impacts may include loss of ii) If so, are sites likely to be available in
habitats or species of flora and fauna, disturbance previously developed (brown field) land
to or displacement of species, fragmentation of so that disturbance to cultural heritage
habitats or severance of ecological corridors. There features can be minimised?
may also be opportunities for creation of new
habitat and introduction of species as a result of iii) If building on undeveloped land is likely
restoration works and landscaping. to be necessary, approximately how
much land is likely to be required
c) Questions to ask when appraising management (compared with other management
system options for impacts on natural heritage are options)?
presented below:
iv) How likely is it that a site or sites may be
i) Is the management system option likely found in an area which will avoid areas
to involve new infrastructure or features of cultural heritage?
development?
v) Does the area generally have a high
ii) If so, are sites likely to be available on known or potential importance for
previously developed land so that cultural heritage and are there locations
disturbance of nature conservation where new development should be
interests is minimised? specifically avoided?
iii) If building on undeveloped land is likely vi) Are there any aspects of the option that
to be necessary, are there particular are likely to offer opportunities to
areas of nature conservation and enhance preservation and/or public
biodiversity importance which could be access to areas of cultural heritage?
affected?
c) The appraisal should focus in a qualitative
iv) How likely is it that a site or sites can be manner on the historic significance of the area and
found in the area which will avoid areas seek to assess whether the option is likely to result
or features of nature conservation in unavoidable impacts to the cultural heritage,
interest? taking account of sensitive areas (such as broad
designations like Conservation Areas) and the
v) What are the expected impacts on likelihood of new waste facilities being required.
ecological resources if development in
such areas is likely to be unavoidable? G) Non-Renewable Resource Use
vi) Is the option likely to offer opportunities a) The prudent use of finite natural resources is a
for habitat creation, for example from key objective of sustainable development. Non-
restoration of landfill sites in the short or renewable resources such as fossil fuels or mineral
long term? ores should be used efficiently. The choice of waste
management system option can have a significant
vii) Are there any other aspects of the influence on the consumption of finite resources.
management option which could provide For instance, an option involving reuse and
benefit or have an adverse effect on recovery of materials should result in a reduction in
nature conservation interests? the consumption of primary raw materials. A
management system option involving recovery of
F) Cultural Heritage energy from waste should result in a reduction in
the use of fossil fuels.
a) Cultural heritage may be defined as the resource
encompassed by the stock of archaeological b) When considering the performance of a
remains (both known and potential) and historic management system option in terms of use of non-
sites and buildings including monuments, listed renewable resources, the questions set out below
buildings, Conservation Areas, and historic gardens should be asked:
i) Will the option require use of non- ii) Have the safest possible technologies
renewable resources for construction and systems been adopted or specified
and operation of waste infrastructure? for the option?
ii) Will the option result in a change in the iii) Are any particularly risky technologies
quantity of non-renewable resources necessary for the option?
used through reuse, recycling or
recovery? iv) How safe has the waste management
industry in the area been to date? Are
iii) Which non-renewable resources will be there any sectors where risks have been
affected and how much more or less will assessed as being unacceptably high or
be used? where accident frequencies are high?
a) A safe and healthy environment for employees c) Management system options can therefore be
and the public in the waste management industry is compared using a number of different measures of
desirable. However, some risk may be associated cost such as:
with certain tasks, for example, for workers
using/operating heavy and mechanical plant, i) capital costs of infrastructure and
handling of hazardous wastes and waste equipment;
transportation.
ii) operating costs per year for waste
b) Probably the greatest risk involved in a waste collection, handling, processing and
management system option will be the risk of road disposal;
traffic accidents. A waste management system
option concentrating on local solutions to waste iii) annualised capital and operating costs
arisings will involve less transport and thus reduce over the longer term (say 20-30 years);
the risk of accident from this source. A hand picked
materials reclamation facility or kerbside waste iv) costs per tonne of waste handled;
collection system could involve a risk to employees
as a result of working in close proximity to v) decommissioning costs;
machinery with moving parts. Data on operator
risks from these activities should be identified and vi) revenues from recycled materials and
compared with the risks from alternative waste energy recovery; and
management systems and with the current
arrangements. vii) degree of uncertainty about future costs
(certainty about costs can be important
c) When considering the safety performance of a for planning).
waste management system option, the following
should therefore be addressed: d) The cost and revenue streams for each option
should be analysed, and, if possible, a net present
i) What are the risks of accidents to value (NPV) calculated. The most attractive options
people (workers and public) from this in economic terms are those that have the lowest
management option, for example, on the NPVs. At the first stage of appraisal, many of the
roads, accidental releases of pollutants, cost and revenue items will not be available,
risk of explosions or fire?
consequently estimates will be necessary based on xi) Are the costs involved in operating and
generic industry costs. maintaining the system affordable to
public authorities, to the private sector
B) Financeability/Affordability and to the public?
and their long term operation will create jobs, the Public resistance could possibly be overcome by
nature and number of which will depend on the type education or the introduction of incentives. The
of facility. appraisal should therefore attempt to quantify the
proportion of the community who would participate
c) The following questions may be a useful prompt in such schemes, the level of intensity of
when appraising waste management system education/awareness programmes needed to bring
options in terms of their effect on local employment: about this co-operation (that is, resources
implication) and the likelihood of success of the
i) Will opportunities for temporary participation scheme given the appraiser’s local
construction employment be created by knowledge of the community.
development of new facilities?
c) Waste management system options requiring
ii) Will the option result in an increase or development of new facilities may also encounter
decrease in the number of waste resistance from the public due to perceived impact
management jobs compared with the on local amenity, environmental quality and health
current situation? risks. Where an option includes the development of
significant new infrastructure, the probability of
iii) Approximately how many jobs will be opposition to the location of new waste facilities
created or lost? within the area should be assessed. This will
inevitably be a qualitative appraisal since the
iv) In which sectors of the waste specific location of facilities will not be known, but
management process will these again knowledge of the community and case history
changes be experienced? from previous contentious land use developments
in the area may assist with the appraisal.
v) What is the significance of this change
with regard to the current level of d) When appraising a management system option
employment in waste management and against these criteria, the following questions may
with respect to current levels of be useful:
unemployment and underemployment in
the area? i) Does the management system option
require increased public participation
vi) What type and quality of jobs will be lost and is this likely to be acceptable?
or gained (for example, skilled/unskilled,
part time/full time, ii) Have the means of engendering
temporary/permanent)? participation been considered and are
they likely to be effective?
d) In undertaking the appraisal, it should be borne
in mind that changes in employment do not just iii) Is there a history of opposition to siting
affect the individuals and families of employees of waste management facilities in the
directly concerned, but also the wider local area or of other reported problems
economy as a result of changes in their spending associated with waste collection and
levels and patterns. This will generate further disposal?
employment in the local economy (induced by
multiplier employment). iv) Does the management system option
involve development which may
e) In addition, changes in the structure of waste encounter public resistance?
management brought about by the option may have
implications for businesses supporting and v) If the management system option is
supplying the waste industry in the area either unacceptable to the public, can this be
during construction of new facilities or long term overcome through education, incentives
operation. These changes may generate further or good planning?
indirect multiplier employment in these businesses.
C) Impact on Skills Base
B) Public Acceptability
In order to achieve stable and sustainable growth, a
a) For a waste management system option that well educated, trained and adaptable workforce is
requires the public to do things differently (for required. The appraisal should seek to evaluate the
example, involving increased participation on their extent to which the existing skills base can match
part) it is important that the public find this the skills requirements for the option, and whether
acceptable and are prepared to play the role any identified shortfalls will be made up through
required of them in order for the system to work. specific training programmes or met through import
of expertise.
b) As the degree of resistance to a proposed
management system option will vary from one b) The following questions, however, may be useful
community to another, the appropriateness of a when considering the issues:
management system may vary geographically.
b) A key sustainable development objective is to i) Can the system cope with uncertainty
tackle poverty and social exclusion and the vicious about future population and
circle that it creates, for example unemployment, demographic change and changes in
low educational achievements, poor quality housing the structure and vibrancy of the
and poor health. Another key issue is equity. economy?
Different waste management systems can result in
different winners and losers, and equitable ii) Is the total capacity of the option’s waste
distribution of costs and benefits is therefore a management infrastructure sufficient to
factor to be considered. accommodate changes in the amount of
waste arisings, for example, from
c) Different waste management options will have population or economic growth or
varying social implications, so any of the competing decline?
management options shows signs of performing
better in one or more areas then this should be iii) Is the option’s waste management
reflected in the appraisal. The following questions infrastructure designed to take account
could be used: of possible changes in the nature of
waste arisings and changes in the
i) Would the waste management system relative quantities of waste streams, for
option result in different groups within example, from economic restructuring
local society experiencing costs and and technological changes?
benefits?
iv) How readily could the management
ii) What is the nature of the effects system option incorporate new waste
predicted and can they be quantified? technologies or standards as and when
they emerged and what effect, for
iii) Are there any particular social issues of example, on cost and operational
concern currently in the planning area capacity/efficiency, might incorporating
(for example, areas of deprivation or such changes have?
social exclusion)?
B) Making Best Use of Existing Resources
iv) Will the option exacerbate or improve
these conditions?
a) The development of new infrastructure to deal
with waste can be costly and involve impact on the
v) Does the waste management option
environment. It will be important therefore to make
provide an opportunity for creating jobs
good use of existing resources such as current
in deprived areas or areas of high
infrastructure, waste management facilities,
unemployment?
disposal capacity and expertise/skills as discarding
these will be a waste of resources already
committed and available.
2) Methods for Waste Collection and Transfer Separate collection Green waste collected separately
of green waste and delivered to centralised
Method Things to Consider composting plant/s.
Conventional Continuing use of existing vehicle
waste collection fleet and collection regime. Consider transport requirements,
with direct delivery participation and recovery rates
to final destination Consider need for vehicle and markets for end product.
replacement over period.
Centres for the Consider density of provision and
Consider frequency and collection of dry locations - at supermarkets, and
household storage options (bins, recyclables end of every street, number per
bags, external household bins). population.
High levels of separation can be Home composting Consider the level of participation,
achieved using latest bin provision, publicity and
plant/technologies. education and recover rates.
Appendix A
STEP 1 Define the objectives of the Waste Management Plan that influence
the selection of the preferred integrated waste management option.
STEP 2 Compile a list of all the relevant criteria against which the
performance of alternative waste management options should be assessed.
STEP 7 Combine the option performance with the relative significance of the
decision criteria to identify which option(s) perform best across the relevant
factors.
STEP 8 Examine how sensitive are the option scores to changes in the
assumptions made during each previous stage.
STEP 9 Select the option(s) which are most preferred on balance and refine
by mitigation of their poor points and further improvement where they do
well. Repeat the process from step 4.