In 2023/24, Highland Council was proposing to make changes to its waste and recycling collection system to ensure it was aligned with the national waste policy and the Household Recycling Charter and Code of Practice which seeks to deliver more consistent recycling collections across Scotland.
As this was a significant change, the project leader was asked if they would like to pilot the completion of an Integrated Impact Assessment tool that was being created within the council at the same time. This included a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA). The advice supporting the CRWIA included information on the UNCRC Articles and the process of considering the views of children and young people who may be impacted by the proposed change. The project manager and the subject specialist for children’s rights within the council jointly worked through the CRWIA, discussing key aspects of the proposed change and how to mitigate any potential negative impact on children and young people.
One of the proposals within the project was to reduce the size of the general waste (black bin), to encourage more recycling of paper and card (blue bin) and plastics or metals (green bin). This would reduce the amount of landfill and increase recycling but could be an issue for families with young children who might create more waste through disposable nappies etc., and for larger families who would naturally produce more waste. Families of children who have disabilities may also create more waste through pads, nappies or medical waste. We also discussed issues for families who live in smaller houses for storing recycling indoors before putting this in the blue or green bins.
These issues were able to contribute to the council’s Household Waste and Recycling Policy, which was reviewed to include these specific needs within families and to inform the additional bin capacity criteria. Having a smaller bin delivered to all households would have disadvantaged these children and families in particular, so mitigations were put in place with families being able to request an additional black bin from the outset and to have their waste collected more regularly, to accommodate the higher level of waste generated.
The policy now states that:
“Additional capacity can be provided to a household where they can demonstrate a need. One additional 140/180l residual wheeled bin and additional 240L dry recycling bins can be provided to a household:
- with five or more persons in permanent residence;
- where a householder’s medical condition demonstrates a need for additional bin capacity or;
- where there are two children in nappies
In areas which receive the service, one additional 23 litre food waste caddy can also be provided to households meeting these criteria.”
Educational materials were also created for schools to use with pupils to support the sustainable development goals within the curriculum and to encourage recycling from a young age (Article 42). In addition, planned trips were proposed to the local recycling plants for children to support their educational experiences.
As a result, it was hoped that the mitigations would be in the best interests of children in Highland (Article 3) and have a positive impact on children’s right to dignity and the best possible healthcare (Article 24), especially those children with disabilities (Article 23). Larger families, families of young children, or those with health care needs or disabilities would not be adversely impacted or discriminated against by this change (Article 2).
Children’s rights did not feature highly in the thinking or planning of the project prior to these discussions. Being able to articulate the need for mitigation and support for specific families through a children’s rights lens provided a different way of looking at some of the issues that may be experienced by some families, reducing blame.
Involvement of children and young people
In this instance children were not included in the project development. The project planning was quite far on by the time the project manager was asked to participate in the impact assessment process. However, it was early enough to provide a clear rationale for the mitigations required for some children and families.
If you would like to know more about the project, please contact Bernadette.cairns@highland.gov.uk
Relevant UNCRC Articles
Article 2: Non-discrimination. Ensures no family is disadvantaged.
Article 3: Best interests of the child. Mitigations are in the best interests of affected children.
Article 23: Rights of children with disabilities. Policy accommodates children with disabilities.
Article 24: Health and well-being. Supports dignity and access to healthcare.
Article 42: Right to know about rights. Educational materials and school trips promote awareness of sustainable practices and children’s rights.
Children whose rights are at risk: children with disabilities, in large families, or where there are young children
Protected Characteristics considered: disability
Urban/rural local authority: rural
Key population groups involved: families with young children, large families, children with disabilities
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