LIFE+ REPURPOSE Project - Re-use Policy Pack

LIFE+ REPURPOSE project Influencing policy and best practice:

RE-USE POLICY PACK

With the contribution of the LIFE+ financial instrument of the European Community. Project No: LIFE13 ENV/UK/000493

1 Groundwork London is a registered charity no. 11211

Contact information Groundwork London is the lead partner on the project and should be contacted in the first instance: Hannah Baker, hannah.baker@groundwork.org.uk or Graham Parry, graham.parry@groundwork.org.uk, both contactable on 0207 7922 1230 London Community Resource Network Richard Featherstone, richard.reuse@hotmail.com Middlesex University Tom Dickens, tom.dickens@mdx.ac.uk

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CONTENTS 1.

Executive summary ......................................................................4

2.

Introduction .................................................................................6 Expected audience........................................................................................................................ 6 Issues that can be addressed by re-use on housing estates ........................................................ 6 Background to Repurpose ............................................................................................................ 7

3.

Why re-use? .................................................................................8 High levels of waste causing environmental damage through disposal ...................................... 8 High costs dealing with increasing levels of fly-tipping of bulky items ........................................ 8 High re-usability of waste ............................................................................................................. 9 Low levels of local environmental quality .................................................................................... 9 Low levels of community cohesion.............................................................................................10 Need for furniture.......................................................................................................................10 Environmental, social and economic benefits ............................................................................10 Challenges of re-use in housing estates .....................................................................................13

4.

Policy context and recommendations ........................................14 Current legislation supporting re-use in the waste hierarchy ....................................................15 Further justification for re-use other than in waste policy ........................................................24 Policy recommendations on re-use in urban areas ....................................................................24

5.

The Repurpose Implementation Guide: .....................................32 How to set up a re-use scheme on a housing estate..................................................................32

6.

Conclusions ................................................................................33

7.

Contact details ...........................................................................34

8.

Further reading and links ...........................................................35

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1. Executive summary Large volumes of waste across the EU are still going to landfill and incineration, equivalent to over five tonnes per inhabitant. 1 However, studies have shown that over 40% of the bulky waste we throw away could be re-used with only minor repairs. 2 Meanwhile, three quarters of Europe’s population live in cities and towns, and this figure is projected to continue to increase. 3 The urban environment can be densely populated; in 2015, over 40% of the EU population lived in flats. 4 As the re-use of bulky waste items provides not only positive environmental impacts, but also economic and social benefits for communities across Europe, effective solutions for increasing reuse for dense urban environments is a particular priority.

There is action to try and address this. The revised EU Waste Framework Directive 5 has set out how the way we manage waste needs to move up the waste hierarchy from a focus on recycling to waste prevention and re-use; and there are indications that specific targets for reuse will be introduced at a European level in the near future. On a national level, the UK is currently re-using less than half of the municipal waste that could be re-used each year 6, and all levels of UK government are starting to recognise that increasing re-use is a key part of moving towards a zero waste economy and a circular economy.

However this momentum has not yet translated to policy drivers to systematically support re-use programmes as part of mainstream waste provision. There are lots of individual examples; with third sector organisations and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) playing a vital role in collection, refurbishment and distribution of items. But there is little evidence of re-use being promoted at a systematic level and as a result there are currently a number of opportunities that are being missed.

This policy pack seeks to help address this lack of ‘top down’ guidance and encourage re-use to be embedded into bulky waste management practice rather than be treated as an optional extra within the procurement process. It is based on the experiences and learnings of the Repurpose project, led

by Groundwork London in partnership with the London Community Resource Network (LCRN) and Middlesex University. Co-funded by the European Commission’s LIFE+ programme, the project has taken a hyper-local approach to encouraging re-use and preventing fly-tipping, by turning redundant spaces on housing estates into re-use hubs to collect, store, repair and sell re-usable items. The Repurpose programme has found that the initiatives it set up were going ‘against the grain’ of business-as-usual waste services and, whilst interest in supporting re-use might be shown on an estate-wide level, until it is addressed at a strategic level it is clear that this kind of programme will never become mainstream.

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Waste_statistics WRAP, 2012, Composition of kerbside and HWRC bulky waste 3 World Bank (2015): http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?locations=EU 4 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Housing_statistics 5 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32008L0098 (Article 11) 6 WRAP guidance on how to provide a re-use focussed bulky waste collection service www.wrap.org.uk/node/35333 1 2

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This pack is written for policy makers and service planners looking for guidance on the justifications for re-use, and how to write re-use into procedures. It supports this by setting out the policy context at the European, national and regional level, before making recommendations for policy criteria that would support integration of re-use within policy frameworks at all levels going forward.

Key recommendations set out in this policy pack focus on better support for the integration of reuse in bulky waste management practice at the European, national and regional level through the following approaches: • Product packaging and design: o New ecodesign standards for a wider range of products to enable repair and re-use o Updated rules on Extended Producer Responsibility to better support preparation for re-use and repair activities o Targets and incentives for packaging waste prevention and preparation for re-use • Re-use targets and requirements: o Preparing for re-use targets separate to recycling targets o Requirements for retailers and manufacturers to take back goods for re-use o Coordinating with emerging EU Circular Economy policy at the national level o Requiring local authorities, waste disposal authorities and housing providers to develop plans and procedures for how they will encourage and enable greater reuse o Building re-use into procurement policies o Designing collection schemes to prioritise re-use in bulky waste collections and civic amenity sites • Facilitating waste contract changes: o Establishing flexibility or break clauses in long term waste contracts to enable changes to be made to support the integration of re-use • Support for re-use social enterprises: o Introducing tax breaks for re-use activities and goods o Setting clearer rules for the allocation of European and national funds along the waste hierarchy o Establishing social clauses in tendering procedures o Allowing greater access for re-use operators to waste collection points o Offering financial incentives for re-use infrastructure and businesses o Realising the potential for training and job creation through supported employment programmes and training courses to upskill people in re-use • Developing criteria and communications: o Establishing a clear definition of the term ‘re-use’ o Developing a generic standard and/or quality label for refurbished or remanufactured components and products o Placing a greater emphasis on energy savings that can be achieved o Developing nationwide and regional communications campaigns to educate stakeholders on the potential for, benefits of, and funding available for re-use projects o Establishing meaningful metrics for measuring the multiple impacts of re-use o Offering incentives to consumers.

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2. Introduction This policy pack is a practical guide to developing policies to support the re-use of bulky waste items, with a particular focus on dense urban areas and in particular, housing estates.

It has been developed by the Repurpose project, and is designed for both delivery and influencing bodies at all levels of administration from EU, national and regional to local.

It contains guidance on the environmental, economic and social benefits of re-use and the need to integrate it into mainstream bulky waste policy, and provides recommendations on particular policies and procedures for EU, national, local and estate levels.

Expected audience This policy pack is aimed at the following key audiences: • Strategy and policy makers and influencers at European organisations including the European Commission (DG Environment), RREUSE, ACR+ • Strategy and policy makers and influencers at UK national organisations including the National Housing Federation, Local Government Association, WRAP, Defra, CIWM • Strategy and policy makers and influencers at regional organisations including the regional offices of the National Housing Federation, the Greater London Authority, the Joint Waste Disposal Authorities (JWDAs), London Waste And Recycling Board (LWARB) and local area waste boards • Waste and housing managers at local organisations, including housing providers (local authorities and housing associations) and independent waste disposal authorities.

We encourage housing providers setting out on a path to support re-use on their estates to read this pack in conjunction with the Repurpose Implementation Guide. 7 The guide gives practical guidance on how to set up a re-use facility and the policy pack provides a means to embed it into long term waste management practice.

Issues that can be addressed by re-use on housing estates Re-use can help to address a number of issues common in housing estates across Europe: • • • • • • • • 7

High levels of fly-tipping Under-performance of recycling Low local environmental quality Low income residents who cannot afford furniture Under-used empty spaces High levels of unemployment High costs of bulky waste disposal Low levels of community cohesion

The guide can be downloaded from www.repurpose.london

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Background to Repurpose The Repurpose project, co-funded through the LIFE+ environment programme of the European Union 8, aims to institute re-use activity at the neighbourhood level on pilot housing estates, whilst changing resident attitudes and behaviour towards the re-use of bulky waste, in particular furniture.

It has established five re-use hubs (The Loops) on housing estates across London, working closely with the housing providers and residents to develop and run these hubs. Each Loop was situated in a redundant space on the estate, and supported the collection, refurbishment and redistribution of items, running workshops and training to equip local people with the skills and resources to re-use more, reduce fly-tipping and improve the local environment The project has demonstrated what is possible in terms of re-use, with an intensive focus on particular housing estates; providing a tangible presence, enabling constant engagement with residents and housing association staff. This has resulted in Repurpose exceeding its original targets for collection by three-fold, for example. However, the project’s work to integrate the programme’s services into mainstream waste management contracts on the estates has highlighted the challenges in achieving long term change to bulky waste collection services, many of which are contracted out on long-term contracts.

The Repurpose project team is in liaison with waste contractors and procurement teams of each housing provider involved in Repurpose over longer-term support for re-use programmes, and there are likely to be legacy programmes on each estate, but there are little policy or strategic drivers to support these arguments. Until mainstream waste policies support programmes like Repurpose they will likely continue to remain at the ‘niche’ and ‘pilot’ end of the waste management spectrum.

Some key impacts of the Repurpose project: Most of the project’s original targets have been far exceeded. The project has: • Removed over 6,000 bulky items (87+ tonnes) from the waste stream • Provided over 3,000 items of low cost furniture to low income and vulnerable families • Changed behaviour on waste, re-use and recycling through 52 events, with over 4,200 residents involved in the programme to date.

• Provided local volunteering and employment for over 100 volunteers • Created over £640,000 in social value through new community connections and skills gained.

Further information on the impacts of the Repurpose project will be shared in the project’s final report which will be published in July 2017 and shared on the project website: www.repurpose.london.

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http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/

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3. Why re-use?

Below we detail the main drivers for supporting re-use at a strategic and policy level. These drivers broadly fit into three categories – environmental, social and economic – with some crossing multiple categories.

High levels of waste causing environmental damage through disposal In 2014, the total waste generated in the EU Member States by all economic activities and households amounted to 2,598 million tonnes, equivalent to over 5 tonnes per inhabitant. On average, more than two fifths of this (43.6%) of this went to landfill sites, and a further 6.5% was incinerated. 9 The latest figures for England show that over 22 million tonnes of waste were thrown away by households in 2014; approximately 3 tonnes per individual. As reflected in the European averages, less than half of this (44.8%) was recycled, with a larger share going to landfill sites or being incinerated. 10 Both these methods create environmental damage. Landfill not only takes up valuable land space, it also causes air, water and soil pollution, discharging carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) into the atmosphere and chemicals and pesticides into the earth and groundwater. This, in turn, is harmful to human health, as well as to plants and animals.

High costs dealing with increasing levels of fly-tipping of bulky items According to Defra’s fly-tipping statistics for England 2015/16, there were 936,000 incidents of flytipping across the country in 2015/16 (up 4% on the previous year), of which over two thirds was household waste. 11 Dealing with bulky waste is an expensive process, with fly-tipping clearance costing local authorities almost £50 million in 2015/16. 12 In London, for example, it is estimated that housing associations spend about £100,000 - £150,000 per annum on bulky waste services in collection, transportation and disposal costs. 13 Local authorities across England carried out 494,000 enforcement actions on fly-tipping in 2015/16, costing almost £17 million. 14 Fly-tipping is normally in urban areas, commonly on local authority land, such as estates, car parks, parks and open spaces. On housing estates, this is not helped by the fact that the system of bulky waste disposal encourages residents to dump furniture on the street. In addition, estate residents are often not eligible for, or are unable to access, borough wide collection services.

Eurostat Waste Statistics (2015): http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Waste_statistics UK Statistics on Waste (2016): www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/547427/UK_Statistics_on_Waste_statistical_notice_25 _08_16_update__2_.pdf 11 www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/595773/Flytipping_201516_statistical_release.pdf 12 Ibid.

13 LCRN research 14 www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/595773/Flytipping_201516_statistical_release.pdf 9

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High re-usability of waste According to research by WRAP in 2012, furniture makes up the highest share of bulky waste composition (42%), followed by textiles (19%) and WEEE (19%). 15 2% 5%

4%

9%

Furniture 42%

Textiles WEEE Fixtures and Fittings

19%

Garden / Outdoor Mixed Non bulky

19%

Figure 1: Average UK composition by theme for kerbside bulky waste collections and household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) 16

Of this, the research estimated that up to 55% of items are re-usable in their current condition or with minor repairs, although this varies according to the method of collection and nature of the area in which it arises.

Despite this, levels of re-use, particularly within urban estates, are currently very low. Very little has been done to enable communities on estates, who are often disadvantaged in many ways, to practise re-use as a normal behaviour. In addition, residents often buy cheap, poorly constructed furniture that has a short usage life and gets easily damaged.

Low levels of local environmental quality Fly-tipping of waste is one of a number of factors that has a negative impact on local environmental quality and resident satisfaction with their local area.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) notes that the environment plays a crucial role in people’s physical, mental and social well-being and that despite significant improvements, major differences in environmental quality and human health remain between and within European countries. This is backed up by various surveys in which the public have consistently identified local environmental factors as being one of the most important factors in their wellbeing. 17

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WRAP, 2012, Composition of kerbside and HWRC bulky waste Ibid.

17 For example, Keep Britain Tidy (2011): The Word on our Street - this found that the local environment was the public’s third biggest concern 16

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Low levels of community cohesion Community cohesion and resilience is widely considered to be an important factor for residents to feel satisfied with where they live. This is because residents in a cohesive and resilient community tend to feel supported by those around them, feel a sense of belonging, and socialise with others in their community.

However, low levels of community engagement and participation are an issue in urban areas across Europe. This can come about for a number of reasons, including a lack of community engagement and integration opportunities, low skills and resulting employment prospects, poor home conditions and cultural barriers such as language. Disadvantage (i.e. low economic status) and crime and fear have been found to be negative predictors of cohesion, factors which are traditionally more prevalent in housing estates. Similarly, individuals who rent local authority housing tend to feel that there is less cohesion than individuals who own or are paying off their own homes. 18

Need for furniture Housing estates often have a high turnover of residents moving in and out. Many low income and vulnerable families are struggling to keep up with rent payments in the context of loans, the changing benefit landscape and debt management. As a result, evictions are going up, leaving these families with nowhere to go and no furniture to live with. When they do manage to secure a new home, often the costs of new furniture and other essential goods are prohibitive, or the only way to get lower cost furniture is to travel a long way to buy it.

Environmental, social and economic benefits Re-use schemes deliver a range of environmental, social and economic benefits to communities and the local area. A 2009 study by the UK circular economy and resource efficiency specialists WRAP showed that increasing re-use of key household products, such as clothes, household appliances and electrical equipment, could reduce UK greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 4 million tonnes CO2e per year between then and 2020. 19 At the European level, research suggests that keeping waste in the material cycle (i.e. higher levels of recycling and re-use) would create 860,000 jobs and save 415 Mt of CO2 emissions by 2030. 20

Department for Communities and Local Government (2008): Predictors of community cohesion: multi-level modelling of the 2005 Citizenship Survey 19 Waste and Resources Action Plan, 2009, Meeting the UK Climate Challenge: The Contribution of Resource Efficiency 20 European Environment Bureau, 2014, Advancing Resource Efficiency in Europe 18

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Some of the key benefits of re-use for housing estates are listed below: • Improved local environmental quality due to reduced fly-tipping, supporting greater wellbeing; • Reduction in residual waste going to landfill and further reductions in CO2 emissions due to increased resource lifetimes instead of disposal; • The potential for supporting localism, through local initiatives run by local people, which can also help to bring communities together; • A mechanism for individuals and communities to take responsibility for their waste, which reduces fly-tipping and contamination of recycling bags and bins; • A mechanism for effectively communicating waste prevention messages; • Encourages behaviour change through actions as well as messages, including providing activities for existing estate groups; • Creates potential for financial inclusion counselling linked to re-use hub activities for residents; • Creates potential for digital inclusion by sourcing affordable re-used computers and giving introductory courses; • Leads to cost savings on bulky waste disposal, and for consumers on re-used products; as well as the opportunity to recoup the re-sale value of re-used products; • Alleviates poverty and hardship through the provision of low cost appliances and furniture 21; • Creates opportunities to link referrals to food banks with referrals for furniture for those in need; • Creates employment opportunities along the supply chain, for example in collection, repair or selling; • Creates training and volunteering opportunities in a work orientated environment, including for those socially excluded from education, training and employment.

To bring about such benefits, it is necessary for a wide range of stakeholders to work together through partnership working and informal cooperation, including housing associations, local authorities, local waste service providers, re-use organisations, residents and the wider community.

This helps to ensure that such projects are effectively delivered with buy-in and support from all those involved.

As demonstrated by the Furniture Re-use Network in the UK, which works with housing associations and local authorities to improve re-use performance - www.frn.org.uk/social-housing

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Community involvement in delivery The benefits can be further enhanced by taking a community based approach, which features more comprehensive resident involvement and is likely to deliver greater social benefits.

Comprehensive resident involvement can include: • Consultation on design of the re-use hubs • Participation in surveys and mapping exercises • Training, volunteering and employment opportunities including: o o o o

Set-up activities such as painting and creating displays Skills based activities such as repairing and upcycling items Involvement with the hubs once established – collections, repairs and selling Helping to run and participating in events on the estate and in the wider community

• Donating and purchasing items • Communicating with other residents on the estate to raise awareness of the service, including through existing resident groups • Opportunities for socialising with neighbours and the wider community, in new/improved community spaces For more information on this, see the Repurpose Implementation Guide, available online at www.repurpose.london.

Food banks At a local level it is being reported that re-use projects are increasingly linking their services of providing essential furniture with other charities that are providing food. Often families suffering crises have a range of needs, including food and furniture. Agencies linked to child care, housing, welfare benefits and debt advice are key players in this respect.

Refugee and asylum seeker support The re-use sector is well placed to develop its services in partnership with organisations supporting refugees. There is likely to be a dramatic increase in need from refugees and asylum seekers entering the UK, presenting an opportunity for the sector to work with refugee organisations to develop appropriate ways to help them connect with their community and provide their home needs. This can be provided through a furniture re-use scheme.

Some re-use organisations currently writing grant funding applications are seeking partnerships to enable their warehouses or workshops to be available to refugee and asylum seeker groups who bring skills or need to learn new skills. Re-use organisations can provide supported workspace or enable a refugee led re-use operation to be created.

There are clear benefits of collaboration, yet there is little evidence that the initiative is being taken by refugee and asylum seeker support organisations to connect with re-use services. Often, where the link is made, it is the re-use organisation that takes the initiative. More effective communications are needed to support refugee organisations to include re-use in their policies and procedures.

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Given that the levels of support available for asylum seekers and their families are low 22, meaning that many families cannot afford the basics, not enough is being done to refer them to re-use charities for essential household needs at very low cost or, in some cases, free of charge.

The drivers set out above demonstrate that there are currently missed opportunities for: • Further reductions in CO2 emissions; • Residual waste to be reduced further; • Resource lifetimes to be increased; • Social and economic benefits for households; • Housing provider cost savings to be made.

Challenges of re-use in housing estates Whilst there are significant opportunities for re-use and recycling of bulky items from blocks of flats, there are also a number of challenges which traditionally have made this difficult: • Inaccessibility of household waste and recycling centres to many flat owners due to lower car ownership; • Lack of provision of council run bulky waste collection services to many estate residents; • Socio-demographics of flats and higher population turnovers necessitating different and repeated communications and engagement approaches; • Potentially re-usable items need protecting from the elements to maximise re-use and recycling opportunities; • Challenges in the manual handling of bulky items on estates which often have considerable areas that are only accessible by foot; • Space requirements for the storage of potentially re-usable items; • Flats with a high turnover of residents often generate large amounts of bulky waste in stages when empty properties are cleared and new tenants and landlords dispose of unwanted furniture; • Anti-social behaviour may be encouraged by storage of re-usable items, e.g. items set out may attract arson, impacting on the health and safety of residents.

The recommendations in section 4 below can help to address such challenges and support the successful implementation of re-use schemes in housing estates across Europe.

The Children’s Society briefing (2015) highlighted the gap between asylum support and benefits; see www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/Asylum%20Support%20briefing_The%20Childrens%20Society_2015.pdf

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4. Policy context and recommendations The key objectives of integrating re-use measures into waste policy are threefold: • To end treating re-use activity as an optional extra that depends on separate funding; • To spend existing budgets in a smarter way that reduces the cost of general waste, and to realise the intrinsic value of products and component materials for the re-use and recycling markets; • To bring about a paradigm change in the way waste management managers and operatives regard the materials they handle.

This section of the policy pack focuses on existing policy and how this could be improved to help more schemes like Repurpose to start and flourish. It covers each geographical level in turn – EU, national, regional and local – enabling different audiences to identify the sections most relevant to them.

As a member of the EU, the UK’s waste legislation has been shaped by EU waste legislation for many years, and in turn this has trickled down to regional and local approaches to waste management.

Despite the existing political context in the UK, whereby its membership of the EU is unlikely to continue beyond the next two years, EU legislation will remain an important influence on UK policy across many different sectors, including waste.

When the UK’s departure from the EU is triggered, all EU legislation which has not already been transposed into UK law will be transferred to UK statute. It can then be repealed or amended at the will of the UK Parliament. As yet, no indication of the impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU on the waste sector has been given. However, there are a number of factors to consider: • As the majority of EU waste management law has been transposed into UK law by way of a statutory instrument, it will remain in place in the UK after its exit from the EU • The bulk of EU environment law still applies in non-EU member states that are members of the EEA; so if the UK remains a member of the EEA it will have to comply • The EU’s Circular Economy Roadmap contains proposals to revise several key Directives which, if made active before the UK leaves the EU, are likely to still apply to the UK. Therefore, it is valuable to understand the existing policy context at both EU and national level, as well as any proposals that have been set out in recent months, in order to be able to recommend the key priorities and elements that would support better integration of re-use into waste policies and procedures.

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Current legislation supporting re-use in the waste hierarchy EU The EU’s 7th Environment Action Programme identifies waste prevention and management as one of Europe’s top priorities, with a focus on a circular economy where nothing is wasted and where low carbon growth has been decoupled from resource use. 23 EU waste management policies (described below) aim to reduce the environmental and health impacts of waste and improve Europe’s resource efficiency. Whilst the role of re-use used to be overshadowed in the political arena by recycling, it is now recognised in the waste hierarchy as one of the best resource efficiency strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is therefore starting to be given greater prominence in waste policies, including the new Circular Economy Package adopted by the European Commission in 2015.

Circular Economy Package As part of a wider review of European waste policy and legislation, the European Commission adopted a new Circular Economy Package in December 2015, containing an EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy with proposed actions set to contribute to ‘closing the loop’ of product lifecycles through greater recycling and re-use.

The package as currently drafted encourages Member States to ‘prepare for re-use’ and proposes to open up access for re-use organisations to waste collection facilities. However it does not currently require Member States to undertake these activities, nor does it recognise the additional value that social enterprises/charities can bring to providing these services, through the promotion of social clauses in tendering contracts.

The Action Plan recognises that turning waste into a resource is an essential part of increasing resource efficiency and moving towards a more circular economy. It seeks to encourage re-use and repair of products through revised waste legislation, and will include a binding landfill target to reduce landfill to maximum of 10% of all waste by 2030.

The Commission’s 2017 Work Programme confirms its full commitment to ensure the timely implementation of the Action Plan. However, the exact timings of this have not yet been confirmed.

Waste Framework Directive Council Directive 2008/98/EC provides the legislative framework for the collection, transport, recovery and disposal of waste, and includes a common definition of waste. 24 It requires all Member States to take the necessary measures to ensure waste is recovered or disposed of without endangering human health or causing harm to the environment and includes permitting, registration and inspection requirements. It also requires Member States to take appropriate measures to apply the waste hierarchy and encourage firstly, the prevention or reduction of waste production and its harmfulness and secondly the recovery of waste by means of recycling, re-use or reclamation or any other process with a view to extracting secondary raw materials, or the use of waste as a source of energy. It set a target to recycle or re-use 50% of waste (by weight) from households by 2020, and required the establishment of Waste Prevention Programmes by all Member States by 2013.

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Environment Action Programme to 2020: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/action-programme/ http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32008L0098

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Re-use is defined as any operation by which products or components that are not waste are used again for the same purpose for which they were conceived. Consequently, re-use activities would fall under the category of waste prevention. This indicates that re-use can be encouraged by improving the durability of products and discouraging the purchase of single use disposable items where a reuseable alternative exists.

The direct re-use of products, such as through donation to a charity shop, is not regulated under waste legislation as there has been no discard. Only when a product is discarded does it become waste and subject to waste regulatory control. Therefore donations to charity shops do not count towards recycling targets but do contribute towards waste prevention where the items are re-used.

Projects such as Repurpose directly address the requirement in Article 11 section (2) (a) which asks Member States to make provision for ‘preparing for re-use’, increasing levels of re-use in waste streams where disposal is currently the major waste disposal option.

In December 2015 the Commission proposed revisions to the Directive 25, as part of the Circular Economy Package (see below). These changes would support re-use and repair as well as social enterprise active in this field, including by increasing the recycling and re-use target to 65% by 2030.

In early 2017, the European Parliament’s Environment Committee supported separate ‘preparing for re-use’ targets away from recycling as well as separate reporting of these figures at the national level. The Committee also proposed that by 2025, 3% of municipal waste shall be prepared for reuse, rising to 5% by 2030. The results of this vote are yet to be ratified as the position of the European Parliament as a whole.

Landfill Directive Council Directive 99/31/EC aims to prevent or reduce as far as possible negative effects on the environment from the landfilling of waste, by introducing stringent technical requirements. 26 Article 5 of the Directive set targets for the level of biodegradable waste that is landfilled, as follows: • By 2010 reduce biodegradable municipal waste landfilled to 75% of that produced in 1995; • By 2013 reduce biodegradable municipal waste landfilled to 50% of that produced in 1995; • By 2020 reduce biodegradable municipal waste landfilled to 35% of that produced in 1995.

Since October 2007, the pre-treatment requirements of the Landfill Directive have included treating all non-hazardous waste (including commercial and industrial) before it can go to landfill. This treatment must include a physical, thermal, chemical or biological process - which can include sorting - to change the characteristics of the waste to either reduce its volume, reduce its hazardous nature, facilitate its handling, or enhance its recovery.

Re-use directly removes items that are currently destined in their entirety for the residual waste stream.

Reducing levels of fly-tipping, which involves objects that historically have had very low levels of diversion from the residual waste stream, also allows more bulky items to be recycled and re-used.

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http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52015PC0595 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:31999L0031

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Recognising this, the proposed revised Directive (2015 27) highlights the need for a reduction in landfill. It states that this should avoid the development of excessive capacity for the treatment of residual waste facilities, such as through energy recovery or low grade mechanical biological treatment of untreated municipal waste, as this could result in undermining the achievement of the Union's long-term preparation for re-use and recycling targets for municipal waste as set out in the Waste Framework Directive.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) Council Directive 2002/96/EC28 set collection, recycling and recovery targets for all types of electrical goods, with a minimum of 4 kg per head of population per annum recovered for recycling by 2009. The Directive provided for the creation of collection schemes where consumers return their WEEE free of charge, which aimed to increase the recycling of WEEE and/or re-use.

In December 2008, the European Commission proposed to revise the Directive in order to tackle this fast increasing waste stream. The new WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU aims to increase the collection, re-use and recycling of used electronic and electrical equipment and to reduce electronic and electrical waste. 29 In terms of recovery, member states must ensure that producers meet minimum targets for each category of WEEE. These targets are accompanied by provisions of greater access for re-use operators to waste collection points in order to divert goods and materials from being directly shredded, burned or buried, as well as explicit preferential access to these discarded goods for social economy enterprises, and the recognition of social enterprises in helping implement extended producer responsibility. Further revisions to this Directive have been proposed as part of the Commission’s new Circular Economy Package in 2015.

Projects such as Repurpose can, by including bulky WEEE (such as white goods or consumer electronics) as one of its waste streams, contribute to the increased recovery of such materials for re-use or, if impractical, recycling.

Ecodesign Directive The 2009 Ecodesign Directive (2009/125/EC) established a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for energy-related products. 30 It set a number of ecodesign parameters for products, including that for each phase several environmental aspects must be considered - including possibilities for re-use, recycling and recovery of materials and/or of energy, taking into account the WEEE Directive. It encourages design that supports ease of re-use and recycling, and the avoidance of technical solutions detrimental to re-use and recycling of components and whole appliances.

On 30 November 2016 the Commission adopted the Ecodesign Working Plan 2016-2019 as part of the Clean Energy for All Europeans package. This recognises that the possibility to repair or recycle a product and re-use its components and materials depends largely on the initial design of the product. It also commits the Commission to explore more systematically the possibility to establish product requirements relevant for the circular economy such as durability, reparability, upgradeability, design for disassembly, information, and ease of re-use and recycling.

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52015PC0594 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32002L0096 29 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32012L0019 30 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32009L0125 27 28

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Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive European Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC31 provides for measures aimed at limiting the production of packaging waste and promoting recycling, re-use and other forms of waste recovery. It required Member States to ensure that systems are set up for re-use or recovery, including recycling of the packaging and/or packaging waste collected, and emphasises that their final disposal should be considered as a last resort solution. It also focused on design, requiring that packaging shall be designed, produced and commercialised in such a way as to permit its re-use or recovery, including recycling.

In 2004, the Directive was amended to clarify the definition of the term ‘packaging’ and increase the targets for recovery and recycling of packaging waste. In 2005, a further revision granted new Member States transitional periods for attaining the recovery and recycling targets. Proposals to revise this Directive, as part of the new Circular Economy Package (2015), include increasing the preparing for reuse and recycling targets for packaging waste and the simplification of the set of targets.

National EU legislation has had a significant impact on waste management in the UK. The majority of EU waste management law has been transposed into UK law by way of a statutory instrument.

However, the implementation of EU waste law in the UK context has not always been straightforward. This has included a lack of clarity surrounding what certain elements of legislation mean in operational terms. 32 Whilst the UK’s focus on the circular economy is growing, with increased recognition given to waste prevention and re-use, much of the policy surrounding this was put in place by the previous Government – such as the Waste Prevention Programme for England (2013). Some relevant UK legislation, such as the Landfill Regulations or Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations, do not mention re-use at all.

As at the EU level to date, much of the policy that applies to re-use also applies to recycling, with no separate targets – however, with this now looking likely at the EU level it could also be set to change at the national level. What is yet to be seen, however, is a clear indication from the new UK Government of the direction that waste management policies will go in during this administration. Defra’s departmental plan for 2015-2020, for example, makes no reference to re-use and only refers to waste once.

Waste Regulations The Waste (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 33 transpose the EU Waste Framework Directive into English and Welsh law and identify a strategic aim of decoupling economic growth from waste growth. The regulations establish a legal obligation to consider the waste hierarchy in all waste management decisions, prioritising re-use wherever possible before considering recycling or other recovery options.

The Regulations set a requirement for Waste Management Plans to include measures to be taken to improve environmentally sound preparation for re-use, recycling, recovery and disposal of waste and an evaluation of how the plan will support the implementation of the objectives and provisions of the EU Directive. In particular: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:01994L0062-20150526 EIC, 2017, Brexit: Implications for Waste and Resources Legislation, available at: www.eicuk.co.uk/Documents/Files/Waste_Legislation_Eng_Wales_landscape%20(2).pdf 33 www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/1889/contents/made 31 32

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(a) measures to encourage the establishment and support of re-use and repair networks; (b) the use of economic instruments; (c) the use of procurement criteria; (d) the setting of quantitative objectives.

It also required the plans to set out measures to be taken to ensure that, by 2020, at least 50% by weight of waste from households is prepared for re-use or recycled.

The Waste Prevention Programme for England (2013 34) set out the long-term vision on waste prevention and re-use in order to deliver the requirements for the UK (when considered alongside similar plans within the devolved administrations), under the Waste Framework Directive. This recognised that re-use and preparing for re-use via Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) is viewed as an established and recognised structure within the current local authority waste management model, but significant barriers remain to make re-use a strong behaviour change message.

WEEE Regulations The WEEE Regulations 2013 35 transpose the WEEE Directive into UK law. The Regulations are designed to minimise the environmental impact of electronic and electrical goods, by increasing collection, re-use, recycling and recovery, and reducing the amount of WEEE going to landfill. Key elements include a target for at least 65% re-use and recycling of components, materials and substances by the average weight in tonnes of the equipment from 2019; a requirement for small WEEE take-back in retail outlets; and stricter requirements for WEEE exporters.

The WEEE regulations provide an exemption from environmental permitting and waste management licences for the repair and refurbishment of WEEE for re-use, and a further exemption for storage of WEEE.

Environmental Protection Act 1990 This Act established a duty of care when disposing of waste you create. 36 In 2005, the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act in England added a subsection to the end of section 52 of the Act, effectively making re-use credits (payments for materials collected for re-use instead of landfill) the same as recycling credits in law. Payment of credits to third parties is not mandatory; waste collection authorities and waste disposal authorities have a ‘power’ rather than a ‘duty’ to pay credits. Defra issued revised guidance on the recycling credits scheme in April 2006 and in England there is a presumption in favour of this unless there are good reasons not to do so.

Defra’s departmental plan 2015-2020 The UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has developed its departmental plan for 2015-2020, setting out its vision and objectives for the five year period. 37 Its first key objective, ‘A cleaner, healthier environment, benefiting people and the economy’, refers to waste in the context of developing new approaches for tackling waste crime and litter, but does not refer to the waste hierarchy or make any reference to re-use.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/waste-prevention-programme-for-england www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/3113/pdfs/uksi_20133113_en.pdf 36 www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/43/contents 37 www.gov.uk/government/publications/defra-single-departmental-plan-2015-to-2020/single-departmental-plan-2015to-2020 34 35

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Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 The Social Value Act 38 requires all public authorities in England and Wales to obtain ‘social value’ in addition to value for money through their procurement of services. The Act states that: “...social value seeks to maximise the additional benefits that can be created by procuring or commissioning services, above and beyond the benefit of merely delivering the services themselves.” This offers potential for building re-use into procurement policies.

Regional - London In terms of the London context, the new Mayor has given positive indications in his overarching vision for London that the circular economy, and re-use as part of that, will be given high priority in the capital’s approaches to waste management. However, the detail of this is yet to be seen, with the Mayor’s Environment Strategy due for publication in 2017. The previous Mayor set out a number of ambitions for re-use, but it is clear that these have not yet been implemented on a wide scale.

Circular Economy Route Map The Circular Economy Route Map 39 is due to be produced by LWARB in 2017, and is intended to guide London in becoming a world leading example of a circular economy. Re-use will feature in the strategy by virtue of re-use responsibilities being placed on the community and businesses as part of the consumer/product relationship. Five business models are cited in LWARB’s 2015 circular economy report 40 as components of a circular economy – leasing, sharing, prolonging, recovering value, and renewables inputs into new products. The latest version of the route map will contain elements applicable to re-use.

LWARB and Resource London’s Dense Urban Recycling Project Although the aim of this Resource London initiative 41 was to boost recycling on housing estates, there are synergies to be exploited with the re-use activities provided by the Repurpose project which promote better diversion of bulky waste in dense urban areas. Both aim for outcomes that elicit behaviour change in residents together with raised awareness in waste issues and taking personal responsibility.

Mayor’s Municipal Waste Management Strategy (London’s Wasted Resources) 42 This was published in 2011, under the previous administration, but is still useful to review in terms of understanding the direction in which London’s waste policies were going. Re-use featured largely in Policy 1 of this document, which referenced the setting up of a London Re-use Network that would provide a coordinated service for the collection, sorting and redistribution of household products that maximises re-use for community benefit. The policy also aimed to support community re-use organisations to work more closely in partnership with the London boroughs to divert tonnage away from bulky waste and towards re-use, but it is not clear how successful this has been on a wide scale.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-value-act-information-and-resources/social-value-act-information-andresources 39 www.lwarb.gov.uk 40 www.lwarb.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/LWARB-circular-economy-report_web_08.12.15b.pdf 41 http://resourcelondon.org/what-we-do/innovation-and-development/ 42 www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/environment-publications/mayors-municipal-waste-managementstrategy 38

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Mayor’s ‘A city for all Londoners’ The Mayor’s vision and statement of ambition was published in October 2016.43 It refers to re-use once, in relation to infrastructure, noting a commitment to ensure that investment plans are low carbon and resilient to the impacts of climate change, that they can adapt to technological change, and they support greater recycling and re-use of materials. The document also recognises the importance of considering landfilling, recycling and waste as part of a comprehensive appraisal of London’s environment, including keeping resources in use for as long as possible through the development of the circular economy.

Beyond this, the Mayor commits to setting out more detail in his Environment Strategy in 2017, including on waste management and the responsibilities of local authorities.

London Plan 2016 Chapter 5 of the London Plan, of which the latest version was published in March 2016 under the previous administration, focuses on London’s response to climate change, including plans for the management of waste. 44 This sets out the Mayor’s belief that reducing waste, boosting re-use and recycling performance and generating low carbon energy from non-recyclable waste will deliver environmental and economic benefits to London. It notes the Mayor’s commitment to a policy framework for waste management which starts from the position that the best approach is to reduce the amount of waste that arises in the first place, with an emphasis on re-use and recycling where this is not possible. It also sets out the Mayor’s ambition for a step change in London’s re-use and recycling performance, with local authority recycling rates increasing to 50% by 2020.

The Plan aims for waste net self-sufficiency, with strategic objectives of managing as much of London’s waste within London as possible, creating positive environmental and economic impacts from waste processing, and working towards zero biodegradable or recyclable waste to landfill by 2026. Encouraging re-use of and reduction in the use of materials is seen as one key way to do this.

It also states that any proposals for waste management should be evaluated against a number of criteria, including minimising waste and achieving high re-use and recycling performance. However it is not clear whether this has yet been done, and if so, whether it has led to any substantial changes.

London Environment Strategy The Mayor of London currently has strategies for London’s air quality, water, waste, green spaces and biodiversity, noise and climate change adaptation and mitigation. The GLA is in the process of revising these strategies into a single, integrated, London Environment Strategy, one of the elements of which will be resource efficiency. The draft strategy is due to be open for public consultation in spring/summer 2017, building on the vision set out in ‘A City for All Londoners’ in 2016. 45

www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/city_for_all_londoners_nov_2016.pdf www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/planning/london-plan/current-london-plan/london-plan-chapter-five-londonsresponse/pol-15 45 www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/environment-strategies-and-publications 43 44

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Local examples Local authority waste prevention plans Each London local authority is signed up to a waste prevention plan, whether as their own or under the jurisdiction of the waste disposal authority. However, examples of where re-use is recognised as an integral part of waste management rather than regarded as an optional extra are uncommon.

One example of a Plan that does feature re-use is the North London Waste Prevention Plan. 46 This recognises that encouraging waste prevention needs interventions in service delivery, ensuring that services are available so that unwanted items get a second life through re-use. It also refers to the North London Joint Waste Strategy, the strategic framework for all local authority collected waste management in north London, which lists 12 actions related to waste avoidance, waste reduction, waste re-use and home composting. These actions are then implemented through the Waste Prevention Plan. A target has been set to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill to 35% of 1995 amounts by 2020, with priority waste streams identified as textiles, furniture and appliances, and food waste. Furniture re-use is seen to have great potential to divert significant amount of valuable products from disposal, as well as support the social agenda.

Other examples of local authorities in London who are prioritising the re-use agenda are: •

Barnet Council: o

o

46 47

Waste Prevention Strategy 2005-2020 – this refers to re-use in the context of furniture and electrical goods, with plans to work with community enterprises, promote re-use to those who enquire to the Council’s special collections service, collect furniture in block cleansing and establish a Council contract for household special and WEEE collections that stipulates a re-use component Recycling and Waste Strategy 2016-2030 47 - this supports the borough’s plan to be a Leader in London for recycling, with over 50% of waste collected re-used, recycling or composted by 2020. It notes the intention to manage the rising cost of waste collection and disposal by designing services that promote recycling and reuse and are integrated, intuitive and efficient.

www.nlwa.gov.uk/docs/2016/north-london-waste-authority-waste-prevention-plan-2016-18.pdf

https://barnet.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s31742/Recycling%20and%20Waste%20Strategy%202016%20to%202030.pdf

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•

Southwark Council: o

o

•

Lambeth Council: o

•

Waste Management Strategy 2003-202148 - this highlights the borough’s commitment to the principles of the waste hierarchy. It notes the Mayor’s re-use ambitions and recognises that the borough will need to consider all opportunities to promote initiatives that focus on the re-use of materials, including maximising facilities for reuse at HWRCs. It also recognises the multiple benefits of community based waste management initiatives, and commits to a programme of education and awareness raising focusing on all aspects of sustainable waste management including re-use, as well as forging partnerships with community organisations and charities in the implementation of re-use initiatives. The strategy also commits the borough to explore the potential to divert bulky household materials collected through the Council’s collection service for re-use by those in need in the community.

Waste Minimisation Strategy 2007 – this reflects the principles of the waste hierarchy, committing the borough to promote re-use through: community re-use projects; furniture re-use through the Council’s bulky collection service; and re-use in the home by highlighting the opportunities to householders for using products beyond their original purpose.

Municipal Waste Management Strategy 2011-2030 49 - this adopts the waste hierarchy, including re-use within waste prevention. It refers to existing initiatives in the borough, including the Lambeth re-use and recycling centre (RRC) which takes a number of items for re-use. It sets targets to divert at least 100 tonnes of furniture annually through the Western Riverside Waste Authority’s re-use scheme, reduce separately collected bulky waste to under 500 tonnes per annum, and increase the tonnage of items re-used through Lambeth’s RRC by 25% by 2020.

It also commits to communicating all furniture re-use schemes and other re-use opportunities covering the borough, and actively seeking to extend the range of materials collected for re-use at the RRC.

The four boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth and Wandsworth have produced community guidance on recycling and re-use services under the coordination of the WRWA (Western Riverside Waste Authority) which hosts the reuse facility, Rework, within its recycling centre. This includes packs for charities, community centres, medical organisations, places of worship, schools and universities. 50

www.southwark.gov.uk/bins-and-recycling/waste-strategy-and-policy/waste-strategy-for-southwark www.lambeth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/rr-lambeth-waste-strategy-waste-prevention-plan.pdf 50 www.wrwa.gov.uk/work/free-guidance-packs.aspx 48 49

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Further justification for re-use other than in waste policy Current legislation tackling poverty that supports the re-use agenda The re-use of furniture and appliances is not only on the waste prevention agenda. Long before this existed as a priority, re-use services were best understood as providing household essentials to those in need as a means to alleviate poverty. Most traditional re-use organisations have this written into their charitable aims and objectives. Unlike recycling, which is market driven, re-use is intrinsically linked to social benefits. Some of these re-use services can be commercialised, such as the case for upcycled products. However, in the essential supply of re-use goods to alleviate poverty no such economic market exists.

An overview of the way re-use services are validated by legislation because they support the antipoverty agenda is as follows: • The Children Act 1989, section 17 is used by local authority social services departments to pay for re-use furniture in critical family circumstances as part of their responsibility to “safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are in need”. 51 • The Town and Country Planning Act 1990, section 106 is used to obligate developer contributions to the community infrastructure. In this way some re-use charity initiatives have been located in properties where a need has been identified. 52 • Social Fund: until April 2013 the Social Fund could pay for community care grants and crisis loans, but these have now been abolished. They have been replaced by local welfare fund provision, which is provided at the discretion of each local authority. 53 Re-use services have in some areas become ‘furniture banks’ for the most deprived communities. There are instances where re-use organisations have created value for money for local authorities aiming to make limited funds stretch as far as possible. 54

Policy recommendations on re-use in urban areas Looking at the current policy context at the European, national and regional level, it is clear that although progress is being made, more could be done when it comes to encouraging and supporting re-use in urban environments, with the focus still predominantly on lower levels of the waste hierarchy. A stronger policy framework, combined with a legislative and fiscal landscape that is more conducive to investment in, and development of, re-use is required. Without this policy focus, it is likely that re-use will continue to be an add-on rather than systematic provision in housing estates. A number of organisations working in the field of waste and re-use policy have recognised this, identifying a range of recommendations that, if taken up by policy makers, would ensure that the current gaps are addressed.

In the sections below, we identify some key recommendations at each geographical level – these take on board the recommendations of other organisations working in this field 55, alongside the learnings that have emerged from the Repurpose project. www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/contents www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/8/contents 53 www.turn2us.org.uk/jargon-buster/Social-Fund 54 www.frn.org.uk - effective local delivery of welfare assistance schemes 55 Including the following: ACR+; EEB; RREUSE; Zero Waste Europe; Ellen MacArthur Foundation; Eunomia; CIWM; FRN; Friends of the Earth; WRAP; Resource Futures; Green Alliance; Local Government Association (LGA); Joint Waste Disposal Authorities (JWDAs); LWARB; LCRN 51 52

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EU Despite the UK’s departure from the EU in the next couple of years, there is still an opportunity for European funded projects to influence the direction of key policy changes taking place now and in the run-up to the UK’s departure.

The Repurpose project has highlighted a number of recommendations at the EU level that would better support re-use in social housing estates and wider urban areas. This includes:

Product and packaging design: • Using the Ecodesign Directive to set new design standards for a wider range of products (beyond energy-related products) that are easier to measure and enforce, to ensure that they are designed to enable repair and re-use; complemented by mandatory information requirements to ensure that clear instructions are provided for how this can be done, extended warranties for such products and improved consumer information about product lifetimes • Updating rules on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to better support preparation for re-use and repair activities, for example through more products being included in EPR schemes, EPR schemes driving eco-design, full cost coverage of products’ end of life, and EPR schemes bringing greater transparency to waste management; this could be encouraged by EPR scheme targets that complement EU waste targets • Including a target and incentives for packaging waste prevention and preparation for reuse through requirements for refillable/re-usable packaging and for packaging that avoids excess waste of materials (via the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive)

Re-use targets and requirements: • Establishing preparing for re-use targets separate to recycling targets in the Waste Framework Directive, recognising that re-use is part of waste prevention, with separate reporting of these figures at national level and clear guidance on how to measure this; this should be supported by separate targets in the WEEE Directive and an overall waste prevention target • Establishing a requirement for retailers and manufacturers to take back goods for re-use

Support for re-use social enterprises: • Setting clearer rules for the use of European funds (e.g. Cohesion funding) along the EU waste hierarchy so that investments are directed towards prevention, preparation for reuse and recycling • Establishing social clauses in tendering procedures, supporting both job opportunities and added social value

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Developing criteria and communications: • Establishing a clear definition of the term ‘re-use’ and the methodology of this process • Developing a generic standard and/or quality label for refurbished or remanufactured components and products, to provide customers and end users with better and reliable information about their functionality, resource savings and potential lifespan • Placing greater emphasis on energy savings that can be achieved by promoting prevention, re-use, repair and recycling activities; with further research on the impact of life cycle thinking on energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

National The UK’s departure from the EU makes it even more important that UK waste legislation is strengthened, ensuring that key elements of EU legislation are kept at the national level. This also presents an opportunity to go beyond this, for example through new approaches to incentivise local authorities and other key stakeholders to carry out, and support, more re-use. This means that many of the recommendations made above are also applicable at the national level through national legislation: these are not listed again in this section. Beyond this, at the national level specifically, reuse in social housing estates and wider urban areas would be better supported by:

Re-use targets and requirements: • Coordinating with emerging EU Circular Economy policy, with clear remits within relevant Government departments to review current UK policy framework to identify good practice and address policy gaps

Facilitating waste contract changes: • Establishing break clauses in long term waste contracts to enable changes to be made to support the integration of re-use in such contracts

Support for re-use social enterprises: • Introducing tax breaks (e.g. VAT reduction / removal) for re-use or repair goods and activities, or increased taxes on single-use and hard to recycle materials • Reconsidering the allocation of funding across different levels of the waste hierarchy so that re-use is given higher priority than lower levels such as recycling and energy recovery • Enabling greater access for re-use operators to waste collection points in order to divert goods and materials from being directly shredded, burned or buried; complemented by preferential access for social enterprises

Developing criteria and communications: • Developing nationwide public communication campaigns to educate stakeholders at all levels on the potential for, and benefits of, re-use, in order to raise awareness of and support for this agenda • Establishing meaningful metrics to enable the quantitative and qualitative assessment of the full range of impacts and benefits of re-use.

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Regional These national policy recommendations should then feed down into regional policies and plans set by local authorities and waste disposal authorities in relation to the areas or regions that they cover.

For stakeholders at this level, re-use has great potential to ensure greater resource efficiency, reduce costs associated with landfilling and fly-tipping clearances, and generate social value, amongst other benefits. At the regional level specifically, re-use in social housing estates and wider urban areas would be better supported by:

Re-use targets and requirements: • A requirement for all local authorities and waste disposal authorities to develop a clear plan for how they will support increased re-use in their area, working with key stakeholders • A requirement for housing providers to develop plans and procedures for how they will encourage and enable greater re-use across their estates (see specific recommendations for housing providers below) • Building re-use into procurement policies in order to generate supply and demand for reused items, such as by prioritising ecodesign products and recognising a wider concept of value beyond financial value • Ensuring collection schemes are designed to prioritise re-use in bulky waste collections and civic amenity sites; avoiding waste contracts that compete with re-use

Support for re-use social enterprises: • Offering financial incentives for re-use infrastructure and businesses, such as using public subsidies to establish local authority supported resource / re-use hubs, led by civil society, in order to create employment opportunities and at the same time generate social value • Realising the potential for training and job creation through supported employment programmes and training courses to upskill people in re-use, with an emphasis on those who are long-term unemployed

Developing criteria and communications: • Signposting and regional communications to educate stakeholders at all levels on the potential for, and benefits of, re-use, in order to raise awareness of and support for this agenda • Running communications campaigns to raise awareness of the funding opportunities available for re-use projects, complemented by wider promotion of existing good practice and guidance and support for partnerships between key stakeholders to enable new re-use initiatives to get off the ground • Offering incentives for consumers, such as rewards for re-use and easy access to collection facilities, take-back schemes and re-use hubs.

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Local – social housing providers

Where are you in the procurement process at the moment?

No matter at what time your existing waste, environmental or sustainability policies or contracts are due to expire or be renewed there is a duty to plan for a review of the service to ensure it is fit for purpose in the future.

Those involved in contract procurement are likely to recognise being at one of the following stages: • Reviewing the existing service performance • Reviewing aims and objectives of the service in the light of changing legislation • Reviewing of good practice options • Options appraisal – costing a service according to the options • Stakeholder engagement – the consultation process and soft market testing • Gathering baseline data by which to measure change • Service option deciding on which option to implement • Writing the specifications for a service – how the service is to be carried out • Action planning – the implementation process over time • Communications plan At any of the stages listed above, there is scope to plan the introduction of re-use services.

Teams within housing organisations who are responsible for their organisation’s sustainability or environment policy, procurement, community investment or waste management practice may identify with the process advocated in this section, and can help to support the development of reuse initiatives.

Normally housing estates managers are working within the time limits of long term contracts, with contract variation, contract reviews and procurement taking place only at renewal stages.

Periodically the service’s aims and objectives will be rewritten to accomplish relevant policy and legislative drivers; the next stage from there is to consider good practice service options that address re-use and waste minimisation. Consultation with stakeholders is key when any changes are made, but prior to this it is necessary to write in to the policy the proposed re-use measures. Suggestions for such measures are as follows:

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Set up a bulky waste audit process: Understanding the value of the bulky waste content can be achieved by undertaking a bulky waste audit. The results of the bulky waste audit will inform future decisions on how to spend an existing (or shrinking) budget in a way that offsets waste costs through re-use and recycling measures. Without integration of re-use measures, waste costs are most likely to increase year on year. Expected outcomes of a bulky waste audit can include: • Reduce the current costs of recycling materials by shopping around for lower gate fees for each material segregated • Better material segregation of mixed waste; this is likely to be the most costly element of the bulky waste stream, therefore it makes sense to reduce it • Improved logistics on transport movements that avoid half full vans transporting waste to landfill sites • Advertising campaign to residents to use bulky waste collection service offered by the council, or to use a re-use service (see below).

Develop a re-use protocol for housing estates: this should include one or more of the following elements that will describe the re-use actions required to meet housing providers’ KPIs, such as: • Write re-use targets into waste policies at the estate management level: While the intention of the policy might be to reduce waste tonnage, the methods by which this can be achieved include a measurement for re-use as a percentage of bulky waste tonnage. A reasonable figure to achieve is 10%. Alternatively, a target could be set for a particular number of items collected for re-use or a set number of collections.

• Establish arrangements for re-use collections as an alternative to bulky waste collections 56: This requires a filtering process at the time of booking a collection and offering a separate collection service. The policy wording to achieve this would specify measures such as the type of vehicle and handling required for re-use, and newly specified re-use drop off points available on the estate for residents to use.

• Establish arrangements for re-usable furniture and household goods to be identified, segregated and passed on during voids clearance services 57: As voids clearances are constrained by short time periods it has been proven in practice that a secondary collection by a re-use team hinders the turn-around time. Therefore the primary voids team needs to work in a way to preserve re-use and to deliver re-use items to the appropriate point rather than take items away for disposal.

• Establish arrangements with fly-tipping clearances to set aside items that have remained dry and in clean condition.

• Establish arrangements with estates’ caretaker service teams to include re-use and recycling messages into staff recruitment and inductions, instead of training focusing on treating everything as rubbish. It is advocated that changes are made to induction processes, including those of agency staff, and ultimately to job descriptions.

See WRAP guidance on how to provide a re-use focussed bulky waste collection service, www.wrap.org.uk/node/35333 See WRAP guidance on how to engage in re-use through the use of an EMS, plus voids monitoring survey form, www.wrap.org.uk/node/42217

56 57

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• Develop a collections protocol on how to collect bulky items within the estate with the intention of re-use, put items into dry storage and pass on to re-use outlets.

• Allow for contract variation and modifications that include re-use and recycling.

• Establish re-use KPIs, with the inclusion of re-use tonnage diversion from waste, range of materials handled, number of residents engaged and events held per year. 58 • Write long term waste contracts to allow for subcontracting re-use services to achieve KPIs. 59 Key issues in subcontracting that will need to be addressed are: o o

The housing association’s rules for subcontracting the service; Requiring contractors through a KPI to deliver services, and additional social and environmental benefits, in ways that recognise the contribution of community partners to achieving all the contract requirements. Adding this formally as a KPI would help to clarify the target and develop the nature of the large contractor/smaller re-use organisation relationship.

• Ensure that future waste contract specification includes re-use and recycling 60: • A tri-partite agreement should be sought between the housing provider, the contractor and the re-use organisation, to ensure that there is a review of the waste contract in its current form. It may be necessary to arrange a meeting to review the service specification.

If there is not one, task the group to write one based on current work practice and then one on the ideal that incorporates re-use and recycling duties. The objective will be to compile a set of recommendations as a result of the review process: Short term recommendations will propose the introduction of cost neutral variations to contracts that enable an increase in re-use activity; o Medium term recommendations will include those changes that can be made at the later stages 61 of the contract term; o Longer term recommendations will relate to rewriting the waste contract terms 62, specification and KPIs for the renewed contract that will replace the current contract. o

• In addition to reviewing the service specification and outputs over time, the results of the work will feed into the procurement process for the renewal of contracts in the future. In some instances this will mean amending the procurement criteria to make it inclusive for third sector organisations to compete for contracts. Alternatively, the procurement rules might be amended to allow for subcontracting of specialist services such as re-use:

See WRAP guidance on how to include re-use in local authority HWRC procurement appendix 3 – list of KPIs, www.wrap.org.uk/content/how-include-re-use-local-authority-hwrc-procurement-0 59 See WRAP guidance on how to include re-use in local authority HWRC procurement appendix 2 – examples of contract clauses, www.wrap.org.uk/content/how-include-re-use-local-authority-hwrc-procurement-0 60 See WRAP Bulky waste guidance - sample specification for a bulky waste collection contract, www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Sample_specification.pdf 61 See WRAP guidance on how to engage in re-use through the use of an EMS, appendix 2 – improvement programme to include re-use, www.wrap.org.uk/node/42217 62 See WRAP Bulky waste guidance - third sector involvement in waste procurement, www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Third_Sector_involvement_in_procurement.pdf 58

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o

o

The need to address ‘perceived risks’ around third sector organisations’ service delivery of waste related services, health and safety, and possession of quality management systems; Recognising the need to establish a strong, clear three-way relationship between the local authority, housing provider and the third sector organisation.

• Encourage the use of re-use platforms such as Globechain, Warp It, the London Community Resource Network (LCRN) and EWWR (the European Week for Waste Reduction). 63 • Design re-use facilities into the infrastructure of new housing estates at the planning stage.

• Consider developing an Environmental Management System (EMS) Policy for housing providers. 64 • Establish a resident engagement and communication programme around the re-use services provided.

www.globechain.com; www.warp-it.co.uk; www.lcrn.org.uk; www.ewwr.eu WRAP guidance on how to engage in re-use through the use of an EMS, appendix 1 – example of an environmental policy, www.wrap.org.uk/node/42217

63 64

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5. The Repurpose Implementation Guide: How to set up a re-use scheme on a housing estate The Repurpose Implementation Guide is a practical guide, taking learnings from the Repurpose project to set out advice for bodies across the EU who are interested in delivering similar estatebased community re-use services. So if you are interested in the practical side of how to set up a similar programme do take a look.

It covers the following key elements: • The background of the Repurpose project and the problems faced; • The challenges involved in increasing re-use and reducing fly-tipping; • Engaging communities and other stakeholders; • Practical suggestions for developing on-estate re-use centres; • How to monitor and evaluate such projects; and • Further sources of information.

Our work has shown that, by adopting the advice set out in our guide, a Repurpose-type approach to re-using waste on housing estates will not only help reduce re-usable items going to landfill but will also create a greater sense of community cohesion and support local residents to increase their skills and confidence.

For more information, and to download the guide, visit www.repurpose.london.

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6. Conclusions This policy pack has focused on how to better support the integration of re-use into bulky waste management policies and procedures, at the European, national, regional and local level. It has done so by setting the scene in terms of the need for, and benefits of re-use, before going on to review the existing policy context at each geographical level.

This exercise has highlighted that although progress is now being made in recognising re-use in waste policy, particularly at the European level, more could be done when it comes to encouraging and supporting re-use in urban environments. In many cases, the focus of waste policy is still predominantly on lower levels of the waste hierarchy, with priority given to recycling and any re-use targets incorporated with those for recycling.

It is clear that a stronger policy framework, combined with a legislative and fiscal landscape that is more conducive to investment in, and development of, re-use is required. Without this policy focus, it is likely that re-use will continue to be an add-on rather than systematic provision in housing estates.

In this policy pack we have made a number of recommendations for how existing and planned policies could be strengthened to give greater priority to re-use, including through the design of products and packaging, re-use targets and requirements, greater flexibility in waste contracts, better support for social enterprises, and the development of criteria and communications for a range of stakeholders. These recommendations are based on the experiences and learnings of the Repurpose project, and also align with those made by many organisations working in this field.

Despite the current political context, whereby the UK will not be part of the EU for much longer, there are currently a number of opportunities for European, national, regional and local waste management policies to be strengthened – with several existing policies and strategies currently under review. This creates great potential for the recommendations in this policy pack to be taken on board in order to give re-use the recognition it deserves.

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7. Contact details Groundwork London This is the lead partner on the project and should be contacted in the first instance: Hannah Baker, hannah.baker@groundwork.org.uk , 0207 7922 1230

Repurpose website: www.repurpose.london

London Community Resource Network Richard Featherstone, richard.reuse@hotmail.com

LCRN website: www.lcrn.org.uk

Middlesex University Tom Dickens, tom.dickens@mdx.ac.uk

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8. Further reading and links Partnerships www.wrap.org.uk/sustainable-electricals/esap/re-use-and-recycling/partnerships-are-key-in-reuse

Case studies www.wrap.org.uk/content/how-case-studies-and-videos-0

Bulky collection good practice guidance www.wrap.org.uk/content/bulky-waste-guidance-0

Collection of WEEE www.wrap.org.uk/content/weee-good-practice-collection-and-treatment-guidance

Textiles re-use www.wrap.org.uk/content/textile-collection-guide

Community based WEEE events www.wrap.org.uk/sustainable-electricals/esap/re-use-and-recycling/guides/community-WEEEcollection-guidance#tab-1 www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Small%20WEEE%20collections%20-%20TSO.pdf

WEEE good practice www.wrap.org.uk/content/weee-good-practice-third-sector

Guidance on re-use of appliances www.wrap.org.uk/sustainable-electricals/esap/re-use-and-recycling/guides/re-use-tools-andresources

How to develop a re-use strategy www.wrap.org.uk/node/34894

How to produce a re-use action plan www.wrap.org.uk/node/35095

How to re-use guide for the housing sector www.wrap.org.uk/node/42217

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How to produce a re-use focussed bulky collection service www.wrap.org.uk/node/35333

How to procure re-use services on an HWRC www.wrap.org.uk/content/how-include-re-use-local-authority-hwrc-procurement-0

LWARB strategy for 2016/17 http://resourcelondon.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/160307-Resource-london-ProgrammeDelivery-Plan_final.pdf

UK government guidance on business and commercial waste management www.gov.uk/managing-your-waste-an-overview

UK government waste policy 2010 to 2015 www.gov.uk/government/publications/2010-to-2015-government-policy-waste-and-recycling/2010to-2015-government-policy-waste-and-recycling

Scottish Government’s Zero Waste Plan www.gov.scot/Resource/Doc/314168/0099749.pdf

The Furniture Re-use Network’s stance on working with local authorities www.frn.org.uk/local-authorities.html

Europe RREUSE: represents social enterprises active in reuse, repair and recycling across Europe www.rreuse.org ACR+: the association of cities and regions for recycling and sustainable resource management, with an international network of members www.acrplus.org Zero Waste Europe: a knowledge network and advocacy group which aims to empower communities to rethink their relationship with resources www.zerowasteeurope.eu European Environment Bureau: a federation of environmental citizens’ organisations; runs the Make Resources Count campaign for less waste and better product design www.makeresourcescount.eu

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