There’s a lot that goes on “behind the scenes” at CIWM on behalf of members… it’s not all conferences, Journals and training courses. Take policy, for example… CIWM represents your views, feeds into new policy and consults on your behalf, as Gemma Burnie, CIWM marketing manager, explains…
Did you know that CIWM influences policy on your behalf? A fundamental part of CIWM’s mission is to influence, inform and inspire the sustainable management of resources and waste, support the development of sound, evidence-based policy, champion professional standards and good practice, and keep our members informed and up to date on the key issues relevant to our sector.
We seek to do this across the full range of issues and policy areas that impact on the sector, providing an impartial, influential and respected voice in strategic discussions in Belfast, Brussels, Cardiff, Dublin, Edinburgh and London, helping to ensure policy development is informed by theoretical and practical understanding and experience.
What We Do…
In 2017, CIWM identified six priority themes on which to focus our attention: waste crime, waste and resources policy and legislation post-Brexit, health and safety, producer responsibility, household recycling, and reuse.
Our work in these areas included participating in the Defra pre-consultation workshop for the second waste crime consultation, publishing a report on “Digital technology and consumer trends: Future scenarios for waste and resource management”, assisting Defra in developing the Litter Strategy for England as part of the Advisory Group, and publishing a member-exclusive briefing on the “Policy implications of Brexit for the UK resource & waste management sector”.
CIWM also responded to the Industrial Strategy Green Paper and submitted a briefing to the Natural Capital Committee to inform its advice to Defra on the 25 Year Environment Plan.
CIWM has been highly active on marine plastics pollution, working initially with Tearfund, WasteAid UK, and IDS to write to the Prime Minister, Defra and DfID ministers to highlight the significant contribution that poor solid waste management in developing countries makes to the problem.
More recently, CIWM has participated in the National Infrastructure Commission workshop to inform its thinking on packaging recycling reform and attended meetings with regulators and industry stakeholders to discuss to the impact of the China import restrictions.
CIWM also gave written and oral evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee for its inquiry into the Chinese restrictions, which examined the environmental impact of the bans/restrictions, whether the Government has made adequate preparations, and what the Government can do to ensure the UK’s waste is managed sustainably.
CIWM has been highly active on marine plastics pollution, working initially with Tearfund, WasteAid UK, and IDS to write to the Prime Minister, Defra and DfID ministers to highlight the significant contribution that poor solid waste management in developing countries makes to the problem. This led to a meeting with Number 10 environment adviser Sir John Randall on international waste management and marine plastics and a DfID-Defra round table to discuss possible actions here and in terms of targeting overseas development aid.
CIWM and WasteAid UK then issued a detailed briefing on the link between solid waste management in developing countries and marine plastics pollution and other environmental impacts to the media and key stakeholders on World Water Day.
On the wider future policy front, CIWM representatives have participated in the Defra Resources and Waste Strategy stakeholder meetings, the WRAP-led Producer Responsibility workshops, and a meeting of the Chemical Stakeholder Forum which explored issues around REACH and Brexit, including the interplay between chemical and waste policy and legislation and on chemical exports, customs and trade post-Brexit.
CIWM has also been part of a number of consultative meetings exploring how the new environmental governance body first proposed by Secretary of State Michael Gove late last Autumn might work and the environmental principles (eg, precautionary principle, polluter pays principle, etc) that would shape its remit. Questions being discussed have included:
- how to ensure that the body is genuinely independent and able to hold government and public bodies effectively to account?
- whether the environmental principles need to be enshrined in primary legislation?
- whether it should be an England-only or a UK body?
How We Represent You
We are always interested to hear our members’ views on what we should be doing to influence government and policy and we regularly ask for feedback and opinions on key subjects which we then go on to represent to decision-makers.
CIWM likes to respond as best we can to all consultations and the input of our members is vital to this process. New consultations and closing date reminders are featured on our weekly Member Newsletter and you can submit a response to these consultations by sending your comments to our Technical Team at technical@ciwm.co.uk at least one week prior to the closing date of the consultation. A list of consolidated UK-wide consultations that CIWM are aware of can be found under “Consultation” in the News & Insight section on www.ciwm.co.uk.
In addition to appealing for feedback and opinions, we also strive to keep our members informed and up to date on the key issues relevant to our sector. To do this, we create quarterly policy updates which provide an overview of recent policy activity by the five UK and Ireland governments and their agencies relevant to the resource and wastes management sector.
These updates are available exclusively to CIWM members and provide an opportunity to learn about a range of developments in key areas such as health and safety, deposit return schemes, tackling waste crime, extended producer responsibility and much more. Our quarterly updates can be found under “CIWM UK and Ireland Policy Round-up” in the News & Insight section on www.ciwm.co.uk, with the next update due in July 2018.
Not A CIWM Member?
If you would like to stay up-to-date with the latest policy activity in the sector and ensure that your views are represented to decision makers, why not consider becoming a CIWM member?
Members can enjoy a host of benefits designed to support their professional development in the resources and waste management sector. With over 150,000 professionals working in resource and waste management in the UK, we recognise that this makes for a diverse workforce which embodies a broad range of skills and qualifications.
Our membership grades offer an array of benefits tailored not only to provide you with all the tools that you need to expand your knowledge, but also to boost your career. Whether you are new to the sector or have a wealth of experience, we have a membership option for you.
To find out more about CIWM membership and how you can join, visit our membership pages or call 01604 620 426.
Already a member? Share this article with someone who may be interested in joining so that they, too, can enjoy the many benefits that CIWM membership has to offer.
