Veolia's community engagement
Its our job to help people in the UK meet their recycling and recovery targets.
New facilities will be needed, to deal with increasing volumes of recycling materials and to process residual materials using the latest technology. To provide state of the art facilities successfully, the support of the communities where we work is crucial.
Local knowledge is invaluable to us when we’re planning and developing new infrastructure. Its also very clear that people want a greater say in local development. Active consultation about how facilities will affect local communities allows us to open a constructive two way dialogue which benefits everyone.
Through regular community liaison groups during the design, planning, construction and operation of our facilities, we can achieve effective community engagement. We can help to remove the ‘myths’ and misinformation that grow from ill-informed communication.
By listening to the experiences and ideas of people in these communities, and making community opinion count, we can find solutions that make a lasting difference.
The Issues
By the very nature of our business, the facilities we operate and the ones we want to build are designed to ensure that waste is treated and disposed of in the most environmental and socially acceptable way.
These facilities are predominantly materials recovery facilities, compost sites, chemical treatment plants, waste transfer stations, energy recovery facilities and landfill.
There are a number of issues that we need to address as part of the engagement process. First and foremost we must consider the noise, pollution, traffic, social issues and impact on local asset value.
Increasing trust in our company as well as understanding the role we play in both local employment and environmental education is vital. So, transparency and effective communication are key to our actions. We must not only engage with all our stakeholders including the hard to reach groups, but also measure and report on important issues and essential progress.
In addition, we must promote pride in these facilities as belonging to local communities and recognise the key components involved in promoting excellence in facility operation and its success. This is vital to local authorities that have entrusted this obligation to us on their behalf.
Our Position
Our staff are encouraged to inspire and engage with local communities through a range of Corporate Responsibility activities, including ‘paid leave’ employee volunteering, fundraising and sponsorship through the Veolia Foundation.
- We will encourage training and development of our staff to ensure they are well equipped to meet the challenges and benefits of community engagement.
- We will encourage our staff to work with local community projects by offering advice and participating in the appropriate committee decisions.
- We will actively promote links with local schools and other learning establishments to develop environmental education.
- Consultation with stakeholders should begin at the earliest opportunity. We will be honest and transparent regarding our operations and plans for facility development. Feedback will be given after all consultations detailing outcomes and the reasons for them.
- To engage hard-to-reach groups we will research local communities and find out the best way to communicate with them.
- In order to discuss local issues that impact the whole community we will run regular liaison groups led by an impartial chair. Where appropriate we will also employ stakeholder surveys, residents’ panels and community groups to help achieve a mutual goal. Websites and email offer a range of opportunities for more targeted and instant communications and we use this mix of media to improve communications and transparency. We regularly invite residents to on site visits.
- We will respond in a timely manner for all reasonable requests for information.
- Through the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme and the operation of our own Landfill Tax charities and trusts, the company will continue to support community-led projects that meet ENTRUST regulations and guidance.
- We will report our community engagement activities through our Annual Review. This information will also be available for viewing and comment via our website.
- Veolia Environmental Services will strive to be a responsible neighbour that engages the community in two-way communication, giving them a sense of ownership and pride in what has been achieved.