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 A tool kit for urban decision-makers on Waste & Resources in cities
  Home > dematerialisation > LRA & consumers
  LRA & CONSUMERS
 
  Many local and regional authorities are striving for reducing the amounts of waste to handle. This new approach goes much further than just waste recycling and encompasses the minimization of waste and the saving of natural resources, at large dematerialisation. LRA seized the opportunity of communication campaigns for selective collection to enlarge their dialogue with citizens. They developed awareness-raising campaigns aiming to waste prevention and resource saving. Further to awareness-raising, these campaigns were also the opportunity to encourage new consumption choices and behaviour changes. For instance, some campaigns promote products generating less waste, reusable products or home composting. This context was also in favour of enlarging thought to what are the driver of material consumption. Public authorities are now in a good position to question people on their consumption patterns and their lifestyles. Indeed lifestyles are the results of individual choices, but have collective consequences, notably the growing production of waste and the degradation of the quality of the environment.

 
 

Major role of LRA in decoupling waste production from economic growth

It seems legitimate that LRA question consumption patterns: they are at the end of the product and waste chain and have to manage the consequences of current production and consumption patterns. They must cope with rapidly changing ways of life and consumption leading to ever more complex waste flows, which in turn call for adequate, technology and cost-intensive solutions.
Waste from electric and electronic equipment or the gradual change in the composition of construction & demolition waste clearly illustrate this situation.
LRA have thus a major role to play in decoupling waste production from economic growth.

Citizens' concern for environmental degradation creates a momentum for such a decoupling. 

What is at stake is:

  • to help them realize that their way of life is closely linked to environmental degradations

  • to provide them with information on environmental performances of the products they buy
  • to assist them in using and disposing of products in a sound and safe way

Consumers need support to consciously orientate their choice and to create a demand large enough to prompt producers to adapt their product offer.

   

Assets of LRA in dialogue with citizens

Even though LRA cannot take up the challenge all alone, their role in the development of a sustainable management of natural resources must be emphasised. 

As the closest actors to citizens, local and regional authorities have major assets since :

  • they are key actors of dialogue with citizens and are main drivers of cultural evolution,

  • they have influence on the legal, economic and voluntary instruments for the management of resource and waste,
  • they are an essential structuring factor for the development of a local sustainable culture as a go-between between all actors of the production and consumption chain and notably consumers, industry, NGO's and social economy enterprises.

   

Strategies for LRA

Dematerialisation and prevention at source are fundamental but particularly challenging issues of sustainable development. Promoting change in this direction implies a profound rethinking of the most common daily choices and represents a cultural challenge to the urban society.

In the same way as for all waste management strategies, the optimal balance between the various instruments depends on the local, physical, economic and social context. In complement to legal, voluntary and economic instruments, informing and communicating to citizens is essential for LRA. This ensures an increased public support for and participation in their waste prevention measures.

   

Good practices

Awareness raising initiatives of local and regional authorities in Europe to promote sustainable consumption, waste prevention and recycling

Examples of municipal and regional initiatives have been collected to illustrate how LRA can promote changes towards dematerialisation. These initiatives are classified according to the objective of the change they strive for:

Direct link to the table of contents Good Practices

This collection of good practices aims to provide a "think tank" where waste management experts and political representatives of local and regional authorities may pick up some inspiration and food for thought.

Would you like to comment on these initiatives, inform us of other existing initiatives or make suggestions for further action, please do so in the FORUM

   
This project has received support from the European Commission.
The content of this website reflects the author's view and the European Commission is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.