Better Engagement in the Waste Sector
Recent government guidance aims to bolster the role of engagement in the waste sector. However, with the constraints of policy and resources, waste practitioners are finding it difficult to engage effectively with their range of stakeholders. To help resolve this problem The Environment Council developed a set of guidelines to help waste practitioners implement successful and effective engagement processes, derived from numerous waste practitioners’ own experiences. Originally published in 2003, the engagement guidelines have recently been revised and updated to account for recent legislative changes.
It is important to note that the guidelines are not a manual for engagement. Our experience has shown us that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach does not work for engagement. Instead, the guidelines are intended as a framework to help people to think about their approach to engagement in a systematic way. Through careful planning and managed expectations, we believe that people can be engaged successfully on even the most intractable waste issues.
There are two sets of guidelines. The first is entitled "Better engagement in the waste sector" and explains what engagement is, why engagement should be used and how to engage successfully.
Click here to download the document "Better engagement in the waste sector" as a PDF file.
The second set of guidelines "Designing engagement in the waste sector" describes how to design an appropriate and considered engagement process including information on levels of engagement, stakeholder analysis, methods and timing of engagement.
Click here to download the whole document "Designing engagement in the waste sector" as a PDF file.
You can also download the five different parts separately.
Part 1: What Level of Engagement?
Through information giving, information gathering, consultation and dialogue, it is possible to involve people to different degrees. This section explores what these different levels of engagement are and how they impact on the design of your process.
We also introduce the engagement framework we’ll use throughout this document. This framework helps in identifying the right people you need to talk to (stakeholder analysis), in what way (methods of engagement) and when (timing of engagement).
Part 2: Who to Engage With?
Once you have an idea of the level of engagement that is most appropriate for your purpose, the next step to consider is who needs to be involved at each stage. This section offers step-by-step guidance on how to:
| > | Identify who you want to involve |
| > | Assess whether or not you’ve identified everyone that needs to be involved |
| > | Recruit your stakeholders |
The practical guidance included in this section will lead you through the stakeholder analysis process. It is important to spend sufficient time on this part of your engagement process. If the right people are not involved at the right time, it can undermine the entire process.
Part 3: How to Engage?
Once it is clear who needs to be involved in your engagement process and what level of engagement is required, the next step is to decide which method(s) to use. This section gives an overview of various methods of engagement and includes some of their strengths and weaknesses. The section opens by introducing methods for information giving and goes on to identify those methods that require more involvement from stakeholders. Case studies have been used to bring the methods to life so waste practitioners can see how each method is relevant for the different engagement scenarios they face.
Part 4: When to Run Engagement?
The timing of your engagement process is an important consideration for three main reasons:
| > | Relevance: To enable you to effectively plan your engagement process, decide who needs to be involved and which methods will be used to engage with your stakeholders, you will need more than sufficient time. Plan early! |
| > | Context: Consider the context in which you are working. Is there any way to link up with other engagement processes that would make more sense for stakeholders and reduce the risk of stakeholder fatigue? This section will help you examine this and other pertinent questions |
| > | Accessibility: Consider what time of year, day in the month and time of day is most suitable to run your engagement. This can be vastly different, according to different stakeholder groups and their needs. Careful thought to crucial factors such as attendance can optimise outcomes for the whole process |
Part 5: Further Information
The importance of engagement is being increasingly recognised by organisations working in the waste sector. There is a wealth of research, guidance and experience for waste practitioners to draw upon. This section suggests some first stops for getting more information on engagement. It also gives a bit more information on The Environment Council and this project.
For any further information, please contact Claire Mellier by email or by phone on 02076320110.