Chair of Zero Waste Mann Muriel Garland looks at island’s new waste policy for the period 2010-22: ‘Towards Zero Waste’
The Isle of Man Government’s Policy Review Report, back in 2000, included a statement of intention to develop an integrated waste management plan embracing reduction, re-use and recovery, recycling, incineration with energy recovery and landfill.
So far, so good – although the term ‘waste management’ implies that we will still be producing rubbish, and our main problem will be to dispose of it.
The report then went on to specify programmes and projects to be pursued by the Department of Local Government and the Environment.
These included a Waste Management Plan for the island, an integrated incinerator (and yes, they did call it an incinerator back then!), ensuring there was adequate landfill capacity and other items such as the creation of civic amenity sites and of a separate Waste Management Board, separating operations from regulation, which never came to fruition.
I suspect that very few people outside Tynwald and DLGE ever read the island’s Waste Management Plan, which was produced in November 2000 and designed to cover the period 2000-2020.
It included charts wherein the figures for waste arisings were largely unknown – especially agricultural, clinical, veterinary, cans and paper.
There was no indication of how the general public would be educated about waste, although there were, apparently, going to be ‘waste minimisation initiatives in all government departments’. We must have blinked and missed that one!
They did, however, appoint a recycling officer within DLGE’s ‘Waste Operations Management Unit’ (WOMU).
Page two of the report states an intention that the Waste Management Plan should be subject to a major review and update every five years - in 2005, 2010 and 2015.
So Zero Waste Mann was very disappointed when 2010 came and went without any review being carried out.
Meanwhile, waste management has been moved to the Department of Infrastructure where it appears as part of ‘Operations’ on their website.
There are a few tips about reducing waste and recycling. The very enthusiastic recycling officer Stephanie Gray has moved to another department, and has not been replaced.
In fact we had to wait until 2012 for the Department of Infrastructure to review their waste policy, and we were invited to attend a couple of meetings to put our point of view.
The Waste Policy and Strategy 2010-2022 emerged quietly – you might even say silently – earlier this year. No fuss, no publicity, no discussion, and so, predictably, no reaction.
But from our point of view it’s a success, because it states that the department’s ambition can be defined as ‘Towards Zero Waste’. So we seem to have had an effect on paper, if not on the ground.
Now we are looking forward to the implementation of this ambitious target, and to making zero waste a reality here in the island.
If you would like to read the revised policy and strategy you can find it on this link: gov.im/lib/docs/transport/operations/waste//22552infwastepolicyandstrategy_. pdf
Alternatively, you can access it via the DoI’s website, at gov.im/transport/operations/wastemanagement/stratagy.xml and a few printed copies are available at the Green Centre, if you don’t have access to the internet.
If you’d like to know more about Zero Waste Mann, please come and see us in the Green Centre – we’re open every Saturday from 10am until 4pm, and like nothing better than sharing ideas for reducing waste over a cuppa!
Or, you can visit us at zerowastemann.org/index.htm