WHAT IMPACT WOULD THE ADDITION OF RECYCLING AND WASTE COLLECTIONS TO BUSINESS RATES HAVE ON COMMERCIAL WASTE LEVELS? A CASE STUDY FOR SWANSEA.

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Abstract

Waste management has become a key political, economical and environmental global issue. It now also plays a vital role in achieving sustainable development. The three elements included under sustainability (environmental, economic and social), are used within the paper to address the impact of applying an innovative method of commercial waste management for small to medium enterprises (SME) (less than 250 employees) in the UK. The method introduced and investigated within the paper is the addition of waste to business rates. Business rates at present are calculated based on the value of a non-domestic premises and unlike council tax, do not include waste collections. It is researched therefore, how changing the current rates to include waste will impact the environment, economy and social responsibility of SMEs. The paper finds that the system has the potential to influence SME behaviour to increase recycling and reduce volumes of landfilled waste, the most relied upon waste disposal method for commercial waste at present (EA, 2009a). It is also found to encourage SMEs to employ an Environmental Management System (EMS), helping to further reduce the environmental impact of SMEs in the UK. By integrating local authorities (LA) into the commercial waste industry it provides SMEs with a source of local support and information required to encourage more efficient waste management practices and ensures commercial waste systems are suitable and applicable to local SMEs. The paper introduces the Waste Rate Relief (WRR) model, which allows rate reductions to be calculated based on the size and type of the business, and the volume of waste they recycle. Therefore smaller SMEs, businesses that typically produce less waste and SMEs that recycle a large quantity of waste, receive a greater relief on the increase of their business rates. This allows the cost of the system to be more fairly and evenly distributed between all UK commercial SMEs. The topic is firstly introduced and placed within the literature to support and explain the rationale of the research. The methods of data collection and the results gained are then explored, followed by a thorough discussion to address each objective within the study. The paper concludes by evaluating the key results, placing it within the literature reviewed and recommending areas whereby research may be developed.

Aims and Objectives

Headline Findings