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Health Impacts of Waste Plans - FINAL - UKPHA 2008
Health Impacts of Waste Plans - FINAL - UKPHA 2008
Health Impacts of Waste Plans - FINAL - UKPHA 2008
Waste planning:
is the identification and analysis of the waste disposal needs of a
population at local, regional or national levels,
Its also about the development of a network of waste
management facilities, identifying suitable sites and the
integrated operation of waste facilities.
All types of waste treatment facilities now and in the future are likely to have
both some positive and some negative health and wellbeing impacts.
High rates of reducing, re-using and recycling waste are likely to form the core
of any good strategic waste management option.
SWMOs that are likely to have the lowest negative impact on health and
wellbeing will have high levels of waste reduction, re-use, recycling and
composting.
Health impacts:
the evidence on waste collection
There is little research and evidence to date on the potential health and wellbeing
impacts of waste collection.
Research to date has focussed on the potential health impacts on waste workers
who collect waste.
Recently a number of studies have been undertaken to assess the potential impact
of change in waste collection routine and the nature of waste collected
Anaerobic Digestion
5 negative impacts – physical injury, mental health, transport and connectivity, lifestyle
and daily routines, land and spatial
3 uncertain impacts – social capital and cohesion, energy and waste, housing
Operational phase
2 positive impacts – employment and economy, energy and waste
4 negative impacts – physical injury, mental health, transport and connectivity, lifestyle
and daily routines
3 uncertain impacts – education and learning social capital and cohesion, land and
spatial
Decommissioning phase
3 positive impacts – mental health, social capital and cohesion, land and spatial
2 negative impacts – employment and economy, transport and connectivity, lifestyle and
daily routines, land and spatial
Key parameters:
Numbers of facilities
Size of facilities
Waste vehicle road transport kilometres
Mental health and wellbeing effects due to resident’s concerns about the
potential negative effects of a waste facility, particularly incinerators,
gasification and pyrolysis technologies are on balance the most important
negatives
Given the gaps in the literature and some conflicting evidence there is
likely to be differences of opinion between community and professional
stakeholders (and between different professional stakeholders) which can
generate significant conflict in the decision-making process
Conclusions: tensions between principles
Proximity vs Precaution