Social Enterprises and Sustainable Waste and Resources Management
Lead Researchers: Dr Adrian Morley, Lori Frater,
Rodrigo Lozano, Frances Hines (Alumni), Somesh Chandrashekar (Alumni) and Sara Cartwright (Alumni)
Background
In the last five years a number of government policies and strategies have identified an increased role for social enterprises (‘SE’) within the waste management infrastructure in England and Wales. The Waste Strategy for England 2007 states ‘the government want third sector organisations to win an even bigger share of the waste management market’ (DEFRA, 2007). The policy salience of social enterprise is now fuelling a growing demand for data, research evidence and analysis, including their capacity and ability to offer additional avenues to current waste management practices. This requires an understanding of the factors that contribute to the success or failure of social enterprises in delivering defined social, economic and environmental goals, which are policy generated.
Social enterprises span the whole spectrum of economic and social activities. They fill the gap between commercial profit driven private sector companies and the services provided by the public sector. The flexibility and dynamic nature of SEs and the many models or forms that they may take means that they can often fill a niche in the market for goods and services that may not so effectively and easily be filled by the private or public sector. SEs involved in waste, in the past, have often offered waste services not available from the private sector. SEs were the first to pilot, kerb-side recycling schemes and they often handle, what may be termed niche wastes, for example shoes, spectacles and batteries. They often straddle between different public sector services, for example some collect domestic waste, for example furniture, for their Local Authority waste department, which can be sold on to low income households therefore providing social services.
This research project, funded by DEFRA, highlights the potential opportunities available of increased integration in the waste management infrastructure, whilst simultaneously addressing the numerous barriers that may affect the successful attainment of this policy goal.
