Cylch deliver paper and presentation on 'The Proximity Solution' (21.07.11)

While the Proximity Principle has been fairly well understood (in terms of geographically ‘containing’ the wider impacts of collection and treatment of waste for disposal, energy recovery or recycling), as the shift towards sustainable resource management moves up the waste hierarchy - to ‘preparing for reuse’ and ‘waste prevention’ - the principle has been less rigorously applied in practical terms, beyond policy rhetoric. However, Cylch believes there are some fundamental ‘win-wins’ to be had in applying both the Proximity Principle and the Waste Hierarchy together, with multiple benefits arising if the social economy is the chosen route for delivery. As a result, with the potential for practical and political solutions on offer, Richard Thomas, Cylch Reuse Co-ordinator, was invited to submit a paper on the subject to the European Society of Ecological Economics (ESEE) bi-annual conference in Istanbul this year. 

 

The paper, titled The Proximity Solution, was submitted as part of the conference sessions on economic ‘degrowth’ – a controversial movement that promotes the political pursuit of a stable global economy that functions within the ecological limits of our ‘one planet’ (getting more ‘service’ from less ‘stuff’), rather than an economy based purely on ‘consumer growth’ which has resulted in the ‘boom and bust’ reality we are currently living through and which has driven per capita material consumption beyond the earth’s carrying capacity..

 

The Cylch paper concludes that the Proximity Principle should not just be about containment of negative impacts from waste, but should be expanded to recognise and support the many social, economic and environmental benefits that can accrue through handling unwanted or discarded products with maximum care – to retain their inherent utility, value and worth and not to downgrade or downcycle them in pursuit of recycling targets alone. Local and social enterprises can flourish by handling products for repair or refurbishment. Local communities can benefit from access to affordable household items, alleviating poverty, and creating training and job opportunities with higher skill-sets. Carbon savings are becoming clearer as the reuse of products reduces the need for extraction of raw materials, transport and manufacture processes, and waste disposal. 

 

This multiple-benefit can be nurtured through the delivery of various government policies – moving beyond the silo walls of departmental remits and budgets, to a higher level of joint-working that can actually bring cost savings in public spending at a time where civil society is being asked to step up to the plate and deliver public services. The mechanisms to enable this political transition to happen need to include investment into economic activity that generates social and environmental benefits – the social economy. To this end, the Cylch Investment Programme, administered by the Charity Bank, is a ground-breaking economic development towards reinvestment in Wales for sustainability.

 

Presenting the paper at the conference in June, Richard was well received with several other European initiatives, academic researchers, economists and political analysts now looking at the Welsh agenda for sustainable resource management, recognising the lead Wales is taking on sustainable development, and discussions are open on the potential for collaborative work. 

 

With the shift towards zero waste comes the practical need to implement ‘solutions’ for local sustainable resource management, which has never been so acute, but has never been so ripe for positive development".