Director’s Comments

Some of you may remember this video in its early form. The first version (on VHS cassette) was produced not long after the enactment of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 which introduced the concept of the duty of care for waste management and disposal. For many this was a very confusing set of requirements - for the first time producers could be held responsible for what happened to their waste after it had left the factory gates.

Although the code of practice gave a fairly good view of what was required from those along the waste chain, there was a clear need for additional training materials. At the time, computer generated graphics were either expensive or of poor quality so we opted for a theatre like set with giant prop replica of the Code of Practice against which the actors could play. In its time the video was very successful but after a while it became so out of date that we had to withdraw it from our catalogue.

The years went by and it seemed that a new Code of Practice was always just around the corner. But at long last it’s here, with different versions for the devolved regions.

This new version 4 uses simple cartoon characters to represent the main roles of the Waste Producer, Carrier, Waste Manager, Broker and Dealer. Our aim has always been to produce a video that will introduce the main requirements of the legislation in under twenty minutes of viewing time. Any longer than this and there is a risk of losing the audience and exceeding the limits of the information that can be absorbed at one sitting. However, over the years, the regulations have increased to a degree where it would be pointless trying to fit all the requirements into a single video – explaining the waste transfer note and EWC / LoW codes alone would be a formidable task. So, along with this video we have produced a companion PowerPoint that can be used to explain and illustrate the details.

In the video we concentrate on the main areas where there seem to be regular and serious breaches of the legislation. These include: inadequate waste descriptions, makeshift incinerators and bonfires, cowboy disposal operators and poor storage and handling resulting in pollution incidents. In addition we’ve included an overview of the requirement to apply the waste hierarchy and we’ve made reference to the UK regions and regulators and the edoc system.

The programme has been produced after years of listening to the needs of our customers and trainers, shooting in the middle of rain lashed landfills, noisy MRF’s and smelly skips and collecting the experiences of many in the waste industry. The video probably won’t win any awards but we hope it will excel at helping you train your audiences.

Here’s a ‘map’ of our thinking during production:

Who - Who is the audience? Who might need training in the DoC?

Anyone who could influence the journey of waste from production to disposal - this might include managers, supervisors, trainers and the workforce in general.

What

Training and awareness of the main requirements of the duty of care

Why

Staff need training to:

reduce risk to the business – the risk of pollution, prosecution for waste offences, reputational damage, cost of fines and liability for clean up and damages.

help ensure legal compliance, cut costs through good practice, support the company policy and EMS

reduce health and safety risks through good practice and accurate documentation

Where

The video needs to be available to be shown in a variety of locations and situations – on site, during toolbox talks, via the company intranet, on your tablet. That means clear uncluttered graphics, a ‘clean’ voice over and no hard to grasp interviews.

When

Whenever it fits a customer time and training need - so it must be flexible enough to ‘stand alone’ or to be integrated into a training programme.

How

It’s got to be simple to use with no complex introductory menu. Just play it. Follow it up with the PowerPoint presentation if necessary or other Green Training Works waste specific products on hazardous waste, treatment or segregation.

If you have any comments on our training products please let us know.