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New valuations published: January 2025

Posted: January 22, 2025

MeasureUp is pleased to release three new valuations covering environmental sustainability, cultural engagement and neighbourhood improvement.  Read more below.

EN2.1 Waste Diversion from Landfill 

The EN2.1 valuation focuses on “waste diversion,” which refers to the process of redirecting waste away from landfills and incineration towards more sustainable waste management practices, such as recycling, composting, and reuse.  

The goal of waste diversion is to minimise the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, reduce environmental impact, conserve natural resources and often reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with waste disposal. 

By mitigating the environmental impact of waste management, communities and organisations can manage resources more efficiently and promote a more sustainable approach to waste management.   

EN2.1 Waste Diversion from Landfill is based on the Carbon Waste and Resources Metric (Carbon WARM) which is created by WRAP at DEFRA’s request to monitor and evaluate the Greenhouse Gas emissions impact, measured as carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), of the Resources and Waste Strategy. This metric is designed to complement traditional weight-based monitoring and evaluation by emphasising the environmental (climate) impacts of waste and resource management. 

It represents the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions associated with each material. The higher the value, the greater the environmental impact. For example, paper and board have a relatively high footprint compared to dense plastics or glass.

The average carbon footprint for a landfill is 347.25 kg.CO2e per tonne.  

At MeasureUp’s Silver level, you should calculate your approximate carbon footprint, by material type, as each material produces different levels of carbon emissions.   

Learn more about: Waste Diversion from Landfills

WWD5 Attendance at Cultural Events 

Attending cultural events provides opportunities for social interaction, exposure to different art forms, education and exposure to cultural, historical, geographical, sociological, or political ideas, and a sense of community.  

The monetised value of WWD5 Attendance at Cultural Events is based on the study by Wang, Mak, and Fancourt (2020) who explores the relationship between arts engagement, mental health, and life satisfaction. The results are particularly strong in showing the effect of attending cultural events on overall life satisfaction, even with less frequent attendance.   

The change in life satisfaction associated with attending cultural events once/twice per year is £3,100.  

At Silver Level consider what frequencies of attendance at cultural events you might shift people from and to. Therefore, you can calculate an estimate of the overall shift, by applying the appropriate WELLBY values.    

Learn more about Attendance at Cultural Events here.

WWL4.2 Improved Neighbourhood Environment 

Where people reside significantly influences their overall well-being and quality of life. Improving the neighbourhood environment refers to enhancing the physical, social and cultural aspects of a local area to create a more pleasant and supportive living space for residents.   

The WWL4.2 Improved Neighbourhood Environment value focuses on the physical neighbourhood environment and is based on a study by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) in 2013 to evaluate the importance and value of various local environmental factors.  

The research conducted a survey involving 561 members of the public to evaluate the significance of various attributes related to the local environment. Participants provided insights on the current state of local environmental factors and expressed their willingness to pay for improvements in each of these areas. 

The monetised social value is the sum of the value for each of the local environmental factors which is rounded to £300 per person per year. 

At Silver Level consider realistically what factors you will be able to improve. Therefore, you can calculate a more accurate value of the improved neighbourhood environment.  

Learn more Improved Neighbourhood Environment here  

As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at hello@measure-up.org.