WIREDGOV

Waste evidence programme will help build knowledge

DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (News Release ref : 304/07) issued by The Government News Network on 19 September 2007

A waste and resources evidence programme to help deliver the Government's ambitious waste policies has been outlined today by Defra.

The Waste and Resources Evidence Strategy 2007-2011 summarises the key areas where research will be commissioned and evidence sought over the next few years. The programme will inform delivery of the Government's Waste Strategy for England 2007, published in May, which set out priorities on waste prevention, minimisation, recycling, recovery, and energy production.

This is the second Defra waste and resources research programme. Since its inception in 2004 over 80 projects have been generated, with a budget of up to £5m a year.

The new programme has been produced in consultation with stakeholders and will help to ensure that Defra's waste and resources policies are evidence based, not evidence backed.

Among the many areas to be addressed are:

* How to best measure the carbon impacts of waste prevention and management

* How the Flycapture database can help identify the drivers for flytipping and effective ways of tackling it

* Whether there is a link between waste behaviour and age, income, or other social factors

* Whether producer responsibility gives the right incentives for product design and waste prevention, re-use and recycling

* What the environmental impacts are of biodegradable and degradable packaging

* What collection methods lead to high quality recyclates, and whether high collection costs are offset by environmental benefits

* What has caused recent observations of a slowing in waste growth rates and how do we continue to support this trend

Defra's research and evidence projects are commissioned through open competitions announced on the department's website. Defra considers open, competitive tendering to be an important means of procuring high-quality research and value-for-money. Our research is open to all providers, and most projects are contracted to universities, consultancies and community-based organisations. The framework for deciding the types and nature of these projects is outlined in the evidence strategy document, but will remain flexible according to the knowledge and information needs of Defra's waste policy makers.

Research helps to inform new waste policies, so projects cover short, medium and long-term time scales depending on the specific needs of the policy area. Many projects from the first programme set up in 2004 have reported findings, whereas other recently commissioned projects remain ongoing.

Notes to editors

The Waste and Resources Evidence Strategy 2007-2011 is published at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/wip/research/index.htm

The Waste Strategy for England is published at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/strategy

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