The urban environment is vastly different from rural areas in many ways, and waste management is perhaps both the most noticeable and important. Without effective waste management policies, cities and their occupants will suffer from poor health, cluttered streets, and low sustainability in general. 

At ETM Recycling, we believe in creating a circular waste economy for a sustainable, future-focused method for waste management. In this article, we’ll discuss what waste management policies are with regards to urban areas, offer ways to improve waste management in cities, and explain the benefits of effective waste management on social wellbeing. 

Kickstart your environmental efforts with effective waste management from ETM – get in touch! 

 

What are Waste Management Policies? 

Waste management policies are the driving force behind how people, businesses, and governments manage the handling, storage, and disposal of waste in a given area. These policies can be informed by a number of factors such as regional specifics, environmental standards, and government legislation. 

Not all waste management policies are legally binding – some are just to inform what best practice is, and to encourage a sense of collective ownership over waste management in a community. However, regulations do exist that act as a legal baseline for any waste management policy. 

Waste Management Regulations 

Defra – the Department for Environment, Food, & Rural Affairs – is the governing body for waste management legislation in the UK. In 2021, they set out their new Waste Management Plan for England, which endeavours to define how to preserve material usage, minimise waste, and promote resource efficiency. 

The UK is moving towards a circular waste economy, wherein waste is recycled with maximum efficiency to lower the quantity of fresh materials that are required to sustain our lifestyles. The Waste Management Plan represents a longer-term policy direction, in line with the 25-year Environment Plan that seeks to tackle many aspects of climate change. 

Under waste management regulations for businesses, you must: 

  • Keep waste to a minimum 
  • Follow the three Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) 
  • Complete waste transfer notes whenever waste leaves your premises 

Explore waste management regulations for businesses > 

Waste Management Policies in the Urban Environment 

Cities carry some specific considerations around waste management and subsequent policies that separate them from other, less densely populated environments. The main reason for this is the prevalence of people, making waste more common in general and more impactful if handled incorrectly. 

Rural Environments 

To see the considerations for urban environments, it’s good to first look elsewhere to draw easier comparisons. In the countryside, waste management measures typically involve individual methods with a focus on each individual. As rural areas struggle with lack of infrastructure for resource sorting, storing, gathering, and recycling, it becomes more difficult to attain a circular waste economy without individual efforts. 

Therefore, smaller-scale impacts can be made through things like compost bins, good recycling etiquette, and taking applicable plastics to supermarket drop-offs whenever possible. 

Urban Environments 

Cities struggle dearly with the quantity of waste and the proximity of citizens to waste management facilities, especially in comparison to open and spacious rural areas. This means overall waste strategy, the availability and placement of waste management sites, and the awareness of recycling initiatives and practices become more impactful and important. 

In urban areas, policies should be more comprehensive to cover all waste sources. This means considering where waste comes from, what type of waste it is, and how that can be best handled to ensure maximum recycling efficiency. 

Urban settings have centralised collection and treatment systems, which are a good step towards better waste management. However, there are still steps to take to improve waste management in towns and cities. 

Find out more about waste management with our article on ‘waste streams’ > 

 

How to Improve Waste Management in Cities 

Cities are made up of many individual elements, but the primary three for waste management are people, places, and businesses. These are the main aspects through which waste is generated, managed, and perceived. 

Whether you’re on your commute, walking in a local park, or visiting a shopping centre, there are many opportunities for waste to be created – think food waste from meals on the go, drinks in disposable plastic bottles, cigarette butts, chewing gum, etc. These waste sources make up the aspect of people. 

Next comes places – this means where you dispose of your waste, and where it gets treated. To manage waste properly, there needs to be adequate locations for waste disposal in locations situated conveniently near the waste sources from people and businesses. There also needs to be enough infrastructure to manage waste disposal, without harming human or animal life. 

Finally, businesses have their own considerations. Generally, businesses generate the most waste, and can have the most trouble dealing with it. Also, if your business is in manufacturing, you need to be considerate of what materials you use to create your products – recycled materials are the way to go. 

In any case, it is important to be conscious of what measures must be taken to ensure any waste is collected and dealt with appropriately. To that end, here are some methods of improving waste management in cities: 

Make Bins and Sorting Facilities Easily Accessible

The availability of bins determines how easily people can throw things away, preventing littering and improving both waste management and local ecosystems. Adding more bins to meet capacity will also stop overflow and lost waste through weather and wildlife. 

The next step is to offer bins for different kinds of waste, supplying places to recycle common items like plastic bottles instead of throwing them in general waste bins and sending them to landfill. 

Educate the Public on Waste Management

Everyone has heard of the three Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), but not everyone knows what to do to achieve good waste management – or even why it is important. Explaining the needs and benefits of recycling will incentivise people and businesses to manage their waste more considerately. 

Suggest using wastebins, recycling bins, or taking rubbish home when possible to lower strain on public waste resources and make it easier to sort and recycle your waste. 

You can also try and provide education materials in environmentally friendly ways. Some examples include: 

  • Permanent signage 
  • Waste bin accessibility 
  • Recyclable brochures or posters 
  • Digital campaigns 
  • Catchy messages like the “pack it up, pack it in, straight in the bin” House of Pain parody-slogan present on Bristol bins 

Buy-In to Reduce Commercial Waste and Packaging

As the primary contributor to waste in urban environments, businesses need special considerations around their waste management and policies. Commercial investment is required to encourage waste reductions, such as through: 

  • Wastepaper bins under desks 
  • Proper bins for sorting rubbish 
  • Recycled materials in products 

Pay attention to excess plastic and other materials in your packaging – cut down or substitute with more eco-friendly materials wherever possible. You should also invest in recycling initiatives, create awareness within your company of recycling both in and out of work, and work with an effective waste management partner like ETM Recycling to reduce and manage your waste. 

Improve your waste management – contact our team to find out how we can help. 

 

How Does Effective Waste Management Improve Social Wellbeing?

Social wellbeing is all about having healthier interactions with the people and society around us. Community health and environment efforts require effective strategies and planning, along with responsive actions to new waste issues. 

Some key ways that effective waste management improves social wellbeing include: 

  • Improving the health of communities 
  • Providing cleaner living spaces 
  • Promoting better office wellbeing from cleaner working environments 
  • Lowering contamination chances for natural areas, food, and water 
  • Protecting wildlife 
  • Supporting a vibrant natural environment 

Proper waste management also helps society in other ways, feeding back into lower costs for products, lower emissions (and subsequently better air quality) from virgin material processing, and greater accessibility for recycled products. 

Less in landfill means less landfills are required, saving valuable space, preventing contaminants from spreading into the earth and groundwater, and ensuring a positive wellbeing for populations residing near these sites. 

Learn how good waste management helps public health > 

 

Effective Urban Waste Management from ETM Recycling 

To implement waste management policies in cities, you need to have a firm understanding of where waste is coming from, its impact on people, and what you can do about it. Once you have policies in place for businesses, people, and places, you can start seeing the benefits of recycling on social wellbeing and prosperity. 

The best urban waste management comes from working with a trusted, experienced partner. With ETM Recycling, you get access to our wealth of experience in proper waste management, and our array of resources designed to make handling and disposing of waste better. Get in touch today to find out more! 

Find out how to manage waste sustainably > 

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