Lessons from History: A Detailed Analysis of the Operation of Three UK Waste Minimisation Clubs and the Implications for Demonstration Resource Efficiency Clubs

摘要

Waste minimisation clubs (WMCs) were introduced into the UK in the early 1990s to encourage member businesses to develop ideas on cutting waste production. By sharing experiences and learning from others, businesses would, it was hoped, disseminate best practice on waste minimisation in industry and commerce among each other. Although indirectly supported by the UK government, private providers funded from a range of external sources ran clubs. This paper analyses detailed final reports on three WMCs that operated between 1998 and 2002. The reports represent a snapshot of the development of the WMC concept at that time and their analysis is timely given the UK government's introduction in 2005 of demonstration Resource Efficiency Clubs (RECs) as successors to WMCs. RECs have a wider brief than did WMCs but lessons learned in setting up and running WMCs can be usefully applied in RECs as they grow in number. Key messages from the analysis are that different approaches to measuring club performance are possible and should be adopted; clubs should be given more time to develop than in the past; club members must be supported more in applying the lessons they have learned; and auditing of the outcomes from clubs should be built into club design from the start.