Integrated Waste Systems, or IWS, is a multidisciplinary research group which aims to deliver sustainable resource management solutions. A key feature of the research is working with stakeholders - with government bodies to provide evidence and policy-relevant understanding and with businesses to develop practical solutions to real world waste management problems.

IWS is concerned with generating policy-relevant understanding of more sustainable ways to manage waste and resources. Our work focuses on reducing the impact of waste on the environment, health and climate change through technological, organisational and behavioural approaches. Our research on social and policy aspects includes understanding attitudes and perceptions, sustainable behaviours, the role of the community and voluntary sector, governance and policy analysis. Scientific and technological work includes research on waste characterisation, health impacts and bio-processing.

Much of our work is practioner based. We offer a pragmatic and applied approach combined with objectivity and rigour. The group believes in partnership and multi-disciplinary working and has a strong record of applied research projects with government, commercial and research collaborators including DEFRA, Environment Agency, WRAP, SEPA, Health and Safety Executive, Veolia, Shanks Group, Biffa, Sita, Southampton University, Ipsos MORI, Association for Organics Recycling, New Economics Foundation, Community Composting Network and Hampshire County Council.

Attitudes to organic waste recycling

We have carried out research for Defra to help policy makers understand public and stakeholder attitudes to recycling garden and food waste to land. Through interactive engagement and survey research with stakeholders including the public, businesses, farmers, regulators, policy makers and NGOs, the project delivered understanding of attitudes and behaviour crucial to developing policy and practice in this sustainable use of resources. The findings, communicated through a dedicated policy briefing to Defra, show concern for better communication and effective standards to build confidence and trust that increased use of these recycled resources would bring environmental benefits and not pose health and safety risks.

Delivering effective standards and performance

The UK is rapidly developing a sustainable biological processing sector to treat and to transform the millions of tonnes of household biodegradable waste being diverted from landfill into benign and often highly marketable products. We have worked with the British Standards Institution, Defra and the Environment Agency to research, design and implement effective processing and product standards. Current research aims to develop test methods and specifications for the main bio-treatment processes used to treat household waste in the UK: composting, anaerobic digestion and mechanical and biological treatment.

We maintain a suite of laboratories that form an acknowledged centre of excellence for waste characterisation. We were recently commissioned by a major waste management company to undertake a three year research project to assess the performance and environmental impact of a new £50 million facility, treating biodegradable household waste from Cambridgeshire.

Community composting

Leadership of a consortium project, working in partnership with practitioners and funded by Defra, evaluated community composting activity across the UK. Findings have fed into Government policies. In particular the research provides evidence for Government on the role of community based composting in contributing to social and environmental objectives.

Some of the inclusion and wellbeing benefits identified in the research are captured in the video which has been used by composting groups to help convey their story to funders and other stakeholders. Another output from the research is a website that provides practical guidance to stakeholders on project evaluation http://www.valuingcommunitycomposting.org.uk/