The NDA has established a new Waste Management Strategy Group which gives the Regulators and Site Licence Companies the opportunity to influence and help the development of future waste strategies.

At their first meeting which took place in Manchester at the end of November 2007, Phil Davies, Head of National Waste Strategy, who chairs the group said:

"The work of this group is important for the NDA to meet its commitment to deliver national strategic positions on waste issues. It provides a single forum for the NDA, regulators and waste producers to discuss all waste strategy topics with a view to achieving a common understanding of issues, initiatives and actions."

Membership

The group focuses on UK wide or multi-site waste strategies and its membership includes

• NDA staff
• the Environment Agency
• Scottish Environmental Protection Agency
• Nuclear Installations Inspectorate
• Site Licence Companies

The following organisations are also welcome to attend the quarterly meetings to cover topics of interest to them:

• Food Standards Agency
• Department for Transport
• British Energy
• AWE plc
• Ministry of Defence
• Office for Civil Nuclear Security
• Defra

Issues

Some of the waste strategy issues for the group include those for

• low level waste
• intermediate level waste
• high level waste
• inactive and hazardous wastes
• contaminated land
• demolition waste

Phil said:

"The Waste Strategy Group is an important forum for developing strategies in advance of wider engagement and consultation with stakeholders."

Waste strategy developments arising from the new group will also help inform discussions with government through the recently established Waste Management Steering Group which monitors the NDA's long term waste management planning and development programmes. This forms part of the Government's governance arrangements for the NDA.

The NDA will provide preliminary and developed strategic positions for discussion as well as air thinking on strategic waste issues in order to get feedback from the Regulators.

The Site Licence Companies will update the meeting on progress on the Integrated Waste Strategy and suggest improvements and ideas on the strategic direction.

Phil said:

"We now have the opportunity to develop better strategic positions. The Regulators can comment on strategic trends and factor them into their own plans and the SLCs will receive guidance on their Integrated Waste Strategy activities.

We are keen for the widest possible engagement on waste strategies and this group will provide a valuable discussion and consultation opportunity for us."

Your Opportunity to Comment

Over the next months a number of discussion documents and draft position statements are published on the NDA website.

See Document Library for Waste Management Briefing Papers

Stakeholders who wish to comment on any of the discussion documents should send their views by email to nwms@nda.gov.uk The discussion documents will be updated on a rolling basis.