Tees Valley Strategic Environmental Assessment Draft Environmental Plan Version No: One Issue Date: Tuesday, 04 September 2018 Non-Technical Summary Introduction This is the non-technical summary of the Environmental Report for the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Tees Valley Waste Partnership review of the Tees Valley Joint Waste Management Strategy (JWMS). The Strategy review provides the objectives, policies, actions and targets to be delivered relating to Local Authority Collected Waste (LACW) management from 2020-2035. The Tees Valley Waste Partnership The Tees Valley Waste Partnership comprises all the local authorities in Tees Valley including Darlington Borough Council, Hartlepool Borough Council, Middlesbrough Council, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. Unitary Authorities (UAs) These councils are responsible for waste collection, treatment and disposal within their Boroughs and are classified as Unitary Authorities. This SEA involves a review of key central and local Government plans and strategies that have the potential to influence the management of waste, as a basis for considering the appropriateness of the Tees Valley JWMS. The assessment also considers the local environmental, social and economic context of Tees Valley insofar as it is relevant to the waste management services and their impacts. This is described as the Baseline within the SEA. The key parts of the draft Tees Valley JWMS are assessed against criteria, known as SEA sustainability objectives, to ensure an appropriate Strategy is developed. All of these aspects have been subject to consultation and this draft Environmental Report represents the public consultation stage of the SEA process. Descriptions of Waste Streams Referred to in this Document Household Waste Household waste includes household collection rounds (‘bin’ waste), other household collections such as bulky waste collections, waste from services such as litter collections, waste from Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) sites and wastes separately collected for recycling or composting through bring/drop off schemes, kerbside schemes and at HWRC sites. Local Authority Collected Waste Local Authority Collected Waste (LACW) is that which comes under the possession or control of the local authority and includes household waste and other wastes collected by a waste collection authority or its agents, such as municipal parks and gardens waste, commercial or industrial waste, and waste resulting from the clearance of fly-tipped materials. This should not be confused with the broader term Municipal Waste which also includes wastes of a similar composition which is collected by commercial operators. The focus of this part of the consultation is the method by which the strategy has been assessed in terms of its impact on the environment. The consultation takes place alongside the draft Tees Valley JWMS consultation exercise which allows interested parties to voice their opinions on the proposed Tees Valley JWMS. Page 1 of 195 Methodology The SEA process adopted for the review of the Tees Valley JWMS is illustrated in the timeline below. A series of workshops were undertaken early in (and throughout) the process in order to identify key local issues and ensure that the SEA Scoping Report and Environmental Report are as accurate and balanced as possible. The series of workshops included those attended by councillors and officers from all the councils. The chart below illustrates this process. Spring 2018 Screening It was decided that the revised Tees Valley JWMS constituted a significant environmental effect and therefore required a full SEA. Internal Spring 2018 Consultation and Workshops with councillors and officers from the Tees Valley councils Workshops were held to help inform and develop the strategy objectives. May 2018 The Scoping Report was issued to the statutory consultees in May Scoping Report 2018, including details of the environmental baseline, proposed strategy objectives, SEA sustainability objectives, strategy options and any relevant plans or programmes. May/June 2018 Scoping Scoping opinions were received from Natural England, Historic England, the Environment Agency and North York Moors National Park Consultation Authority during May and June 2018. Responses were considered and Responses incorporated as appropriate into the Environmental Report. Further details are reported in Appendix 5 and 6 October 2018 This draft Environmental Report is issued in October 2018. The report Draft has been informed by the consultation process to date and includes independent testing and impact assessment of the strategy objectives Environmental and approach, and potential alternatives, against the SEA Report sustainability objectives. The report also considers mitigation of any potential adverse effects and identifies monitoring criteria to observe any environmental impacts. October – December 2018 Environmental Report A 8-week public consultation period for members of the public, and stakeholders, to review and comment on the proposed Tees Valley Consultation JWMS and SEA draft Environmental Report. January 2019 (anticipated) Environmental Following feedback from the public and consultees the Environmental Report Report will be published with the final Tees Valley JWMS. Page 2 of 195 The Context of this Strategic Environmental Assessment All central and local Government plans and strategies that can have a significant effect on the environment are required to be assessed regarding how they contribute to sustainable development. This is done by means of a SEA. The Tees Valley Joint Waste Management Strategy is one such plan which requires a SEA, as defined in the ‘Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes (SEA) Regulations 2004’1. The UK Government’s Sustainable Development Strategy2 states that: ‘The goal of sustainable development is to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life without compromising the quality of life of future generations.’ An early stage of a SEA is to scope out the key ‘sustainability’ issues relevant to a plan or strategy and the particular area in which that plan or strategy is due to be implemented. This was contained in the Scoping Report of the SEA. These aspects have been subject to consultation from statutory consultees. Key aspects of the Scoping Report, and subsequently this Environmental Report, have been informed by initial internal consultations and consultation workshops undertaken in the Spring of 2018. The workshops involved local authority officers and members and were designed to raise awareness and seek views on: The draft Tees Valley JWMS Vision and Strategic Outcomes for the Tees Valley JWMS; The SEA process and draft SEA sustainability objectives; The list of waste management options to be considered in the Tees Valley JWMS. This Environmental Report is for wider (public) consultation and includes the following aspects: Baseline Report Sustainability Issues SEA Sustainability Objectives Vision, Aims and Objectives of the Strategy & Assessment An Environmental Appraisal of Waste Management Options The Conclusions of Appraisal & Mitigations Monitoring Consultation Process & Next Steps Sustainability Issues As part of developing the SEA for the review of the Tees Valley JWMS it is important to consider the local environmental, social and economic circumstances, known as the ‘baseline’. An assessment of the baseline position for Tees Valley has been carried out as 1 SI 2004 No. 1633 2 ‘Securing the Future: The UK Government Sustainable Development Strategy’, HM Government, March 2005 Page 3 of 195 part of the SEA. From this review, the key sustainability issues identified for Tees Valley JWMS review include climate change, local environmental quality, air quality, economics and natural resources. All have been assessed as part of the appraisal. It is also important to take account of interrelationships between issues of climate change and natural resources. Products that we consume and then discard, end up as a waste stream that needs to be managed / disposed of, whilst also using up scarce natural resources in their production. The waste services that are provided could have impacts in terms of environmental quality, air quality and economics that are tested through the SEA. The key sustainability issues identified from the baseline assessment are: Waste prevention Reuse, recycling and composting Energy recovery from waste Landfill diversion Reducing the carbon impact of waste management Affordability Circular economy Limiting environmental impacts and harm to human health Reducing fly-tipping and litter Managing the impact of food waste Managing the impact of plastic wastes Management of all municipal waste Raising waste awareness and education SEA Sustainability Objectives These sustainability issues are used to inform the SEA sustainability objectives, by which the strategy options for delivery are assessed. The SEA sustainability objectives have been derived from: Review of Programmes and Plans – this gives rise to the identification of key themes The SEA sustainability objectives for the previous Tees Valley JWMS (2006) The Baseline Review & Sustainability Issues for Tees Valley The Environmental Assessment of Programmes & Plans Regulations for England (2004) Consultation with officers and councillors The Scoping Report Consultation undertaken as part of this SEA process, during which