North East Area Waste Plan

The National Waste Strategy: Scotland makes it clear that there needs to be a fundamental shift in attitudes and behaviour of all those who produce waste in Scotland. The Scottish Waste Awareness Group (SWAG) will plan and deliver public awareness campaigns on domestic waste management throughout Scotland as part of the Waste Aware Scotland programme.

Each campaign will focus on a specific waste management issue (e.g. kerbside campaign, bring campaign, etc.) and will be run concurrently with the implementation of the Waste Strategy Area Plans within selected areas. Each campaign will comprise of three basic stages:

(i) Pre-campaign survey – to assess attitudes and behaviour towards the identified waste minimisation issue prior to the intervention strategy.

(ii) Campaign – Intensive localised intervention strategy run initially for a six-month period working in partnership with the Waste Strategy Area Group co-ordinator, the local authority, the local community and voluntary groups, retailers’, private waste industry, etc.

(iii) Post campaign Survey – to assess attitudes and behaviour towards the identified waste minimisation issue after the intervention strategy, and to appraise the effectiveness of the different campaigning methods employed.

This format will allow SWAG to monitor progress towards more sustainable public waste management behaviour, and to develop models of good practice and best value for changing public attitudes to reduction, reuse and recycling. A rolling programme of Waste Aware Campaigns in conjunction with Area Waste strategy time-scales will be implemented across Scotland.

These campaigns will provide stakeholders with an understanding of the problems, suggest optimal solutions, and provide a means for taking action. One of the key components will be to match the campaigns with ‘real’ infrastructure – encouragement to make changes that can be supported and enhanced. Concurrently, public perceptions, values and needs will be considered to ensure stakeholder participation and involvement and guide them towards making their own decisions within their local area. The aim is to generate greater participation within local schemes.

It is essential that there is continuity of approach and terminology in the delivery mechanism to change public attitudes towards domestic waste throughout Scotland. The development of the ‘Waste Aware Scotland’ campaigning programme provides a framework to allow an integrated partnership approach, providing a national campaigning identity that is deliverable at the local level via the Waste Strategy Area Plans.