Good design is now a core part of government policy. Local authorities are required to consider design quality when determining all planning applications. And the government's 'Better Public Building' (2006) report demands a dramatic improvement in the quality of the buildings procured by all public sector bodies.

At the same time the UK waste industry is witnessing a paradigm shift from reliance on landfill disposal facilities towards investment in a range of treatment options, including previously tried and tested solutions as well as new and emerging technologies. This is resulting in a push towards a greater number and variety of facilities. As a society we are becoming increasingly aware of the environment that we live in and the impact that we have on it and it is widely recognised that sustainable waste management is fundamental to this. We need to reduce the waste that we produce and wherever possible recover the most value from it. These principles have driven the legislative changes to which the industry and local authorities now have to respond.