Chosing high quality design for new waste infrastructure

High-quality design of new and enhanced waste infrastructure will help to change public perceptions of waste management activities as bad neighbours.

Richmond Hill waste incinerator, Isle of Man. Photo by Isle of Man guide.

At the site and building scale, there may be a place for iconic design of large new facilities such as waste to energy plants, recycling facilities and receptacles on streets.

DEFRA and CABE have produced guidance on the design of new waste facilities. This guidance supports local authorities to make decisions and covers the various types of waste facilities, from small community and municipal sites such as compost units on estates to larger sites such as combined heat and power facilities, and outlines key design principles, the design process, best practice in design and how best to consult the public. CABE reviews the design quality of major proposed new waste facilities.

The Mayor of London has also produced Rubbish in - resources out, design ideas for waste facilities in London. This guidance considers four scenarios of development and the opportunities available to best integrate these facilities into the urban context sensitively.

On the Isle of Man, for example, a new energy from waste plant was designed to resemble a Viking ship. Similar examples of exciting and imaginative architectural treatments are being adopted for the design of new waste management facilities in a number of locations across the UK. However, the majority of new waste management facilities will be located in industrial areas, where they can be housed in simple, functional buildings.

Waste management technology will continue to change, so design policies should not be overly prescriptive. Rather than attempting to stipulate which waste management techniques or technologies will be used to deal with specific waste streams in the area, local development frameworks should look to identify the types of waste management facility that would be appropriately located on the allocated site or area.

Apart from ‘open windrow’ composting, a managed biological process in which biodegradable waste is broken down by naturally occurring micro-organisms that necessarily takes place outdoors, waste management facilities broadly fall into two types: industrial-type building with stack (chimney); and industrial-type building without a stack.

Further information on facility types, requirements and costs can be found at the Waste Technologies website, as well as via the DEFRA and Environment Agency funded Waste Technologies Data Centre (currently under refurbishment).

Priority: plan for sustainable waste management
Tags: waste, buildings and spaces