Preventing waste in the first instance delivers the best environmental (reduction in carbon emissions and use of hazardous materials), economic (reduced waste management costs, reduction in costs from wasted food, job creation) and societal (increased jobs and training) outcomes, and is key to moving towards a more sustainable economy. For these reasons a key part of policy thinking should be to focus on waste prevention initiatives in order to decouple the historical link between economic activity and waste production.
Chair of NLWA, Councillor Clyde Loakes says:
“The population in north London is currently growing at a rate of 1.15% per annum and the dwelling stock is increasing by just under 0.8% per annum. With an ever rising population and with waste on the increase, we have got to look at how we engage with people to prevent waste in the first instance, in order to combat the environmental impact caused by waste. This is an important time to discuss what can be done in order to make people think about wasting less.”
The conference, which will take place on Tuesday 16 February, at Inmarsat Conference Centre, London will involve workshops and presentations from experts in the waste industry from across Europe and the UK and will be divided into two sessions: A conference during the morning sessions focusing on raising awareness, behavioural changes and sharing experiences on a national and international level; andAn afternoon session with active participation from attendees, with workshops on how local authority officers can produce programmes that can achieve behaviour change.
At the North London Waste Prevention Exchange NLWA is expecting to host approximately 100 delegates, from the following sectors:
§ National bodies
§ International bodies
§ Regional bodies
§ Networking groups
§ Local Authority officers
§ Project partners and other consultants
§ Community networks.
The event will also consider the effectiveness of public awareness campaigns, how awareness can be translated into action and on the psychology behind attitudes and behaviour. In addition to this, NLWA will offer delegates the opportunity to engage with staff, at information stalls, from NLWA and from other partnership organisations who assist with the delivery of the North London Waste Prevention Plan. Information stalls on the day will include information on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) reuse and recycling from DHL Envirosolutions, textile reuse and recycling from TRAID, furniture reuse from ReStore Community Projects and environmental education from ecoACTIVE.
Attendance is free-of-charge, although places are limited, if you would like to register to attend, please email manuela.romeo@nlwa.gov.uk.
