Coping with Change: (Re) Evolution of Waste Management in Local Authorities in England
Deutz, Pauline; Kildunne, Anne
Authors
Pauline Deutz
Miss Anne Kildunne A.Kildunne2@hull.ac.uk
Collaborative Outreach Evaluation Coordinator
Contributors
Wenshan Guo
Editor
Huu Hao Ngo
Editor
Rao Y. Surampalli
Editor
Tian C. Zhang
Editor
Abstract
In the context of ambitions for a circular economy, there is need for a fundamental transition in resource recovery practices. However, whilst the sustainability transitions literature focuses on the transition toward a more sustainable future, policy makers must operationalize for a move away from an unsustainable present. Historically, the United Kingdom has relied upon disposal of waste to landfill rather than viewing waste as a potential material resource and encouraging material recycling. Yet from a low base a major successful change was made at the UK local authority level in the collection and sorting processes required to effect this sustainable transition between the then government’s waste strategy appearing in 2000 and the defeat of the government in 2010. We study this change from the perspective of local authorities, who have a pivotal role in household waste management, taking a long view of the 2000s to consider the major changes in environmental policy and local government organization between 1979 and 2014. The chapter draws on interview data from local authority waste managers in the Yorkshire and Humberside region as well as national policy makers and regulatory bodies, in addition to local authority and national waste statistics, government, and industry documents. Results indicate that the historical and geographical context is important to understanding the ability of the local authorities to respond. We conclude that the “landscape” level is more geographically constructed than recognized in the literature and that the regime scale, rather than being a fixture that needs to be changed, is changing continuously.
Citation
Deutz, P., & Kildunne, A. (2021). Coping with Change: (Re) Evolution of Waste Management in Local Authorities in England. In W. Guo, H. Hao Ngo, R. Y. Surampalli, & T. C. Zhang (Eds.), Sustainable Resource Management, Volume I: Technologies for Recovery and Reuse of Energy and Waste Materials, I (47-82). John Wiley and Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9783527825394.ch3
Online Publication Date
Apr 6, 2021
Publication Date
Apr 19, 2021
Deposit Date
Feb 22, 2024
Publisher
John Wiley and Sons
Pages
47-82
Book Title
Sustainable Resource Management, Volume I: Technologies for Recovery and Reuse of Energy and Waste Materials, I
