On Tuesday 6 May 2003 the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) published the Government’s response to the Strategy Unit (SU) report on tackling the UK’s growing waste crisis, "Waste Not, Want Not", published in November 2002.
In the response, DEFRA systematically addresses the 34 recommendations concerning municipal waste in the SU report, most of which it has accepted. It outlines the follow-up action required and the bodies responsible for taking each of the recommendations forward, as well as the likely timetable for implementation. This article provides a summary of the Government’s response to those SU recommendations likely to have the largest impact on the waste management industry.
One of the most widely reported proposals in the SU report was for allowing local authorities to offer financial rewards to domestic householders who reduced their waste and increased their recycling. The Government has responded to this proposal by agreeing that there is a need for households to reduce the volume of waste generated and to increase recycling and reuse, and that local authorities could introduce some incentives using existing powers. It also pointed out that the government is in the process of introducing provisions in the Local Government Bill to allow local authorities to bring in council tax discounts to reward householders minimising waste production. However, it ruled out direct or variable charging schemes in the short term, due to concerns over fly tipping, the effect on low-income families and cost and complexity of administrating such schemes. Instead, the Government has committed to undertaking further work on the practicalities of such schemes and to review this information by 2004 before any decision is made.
The Government has also given its backing to the use of voluntary agreements with industry to reduce waste and increase the use of recycled materials and recyclable products where there are currently no legislative controls. It highlighted waste consumer batteries as one particular area where this would be examined and set July 2004 as the deadline for completion of this task. Although it states that the use of economic instruments to provide incentives for more sustainable waste management practices is under consideration in the ongoing review of environmental taxes, including proposals for an incineration tax, the government’s response does not contain any new commitments in this area.
The Government also considered a number of recommendations relating to the work of WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme), including giving it a major role in developing future action for increasing the re-use of products, in promoting and producing standards for composting and in negotiations within the EU over an expected Bio-waste Directive. Another area in which the government plans that WRAP will be closely involved is in the development of kerbside recycling. It is to initiate the setting up of a kerbside task force - the Recycling and Organics Technical Advisory Team (ROTATE) - to work with local authorities to maximise the potential of kerbside collection for all materials, particularly biodegradable organics.
The Government is also keen on encouraging a close partnership between Waste Disposal Authorities and Waste Collection Authorities and announced that it would include powers in the Waste and Emissions Trading Bill to require the production of joint municipal waste management strategies. However, this will not be obligatory where authorities can demonstrate sufficiently good performance.
The response also announces the success of Envirowise, the government programme designed to help companies to benefit financially by promoting greater resource efficiency and reducing waste. As a result, it is now being considered for an expanded role in which it would cover 20% of UK companies over the next two years. After further consultation with business and other stakeholders, a decision on a suitable package of measures will be announced in the Pre-Budget Report, due in the autumn 2003.
Banning recyclable products from landfill has been ruled out for the present time but the Government says that this will be reconsidered in 2006-07, and could be implemented if there is a sufficiently developed market available for these products.
As announced in the April 2003 Budget, the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme will be reformed to finance a new public expenditure programme to fund a range of new programmes aimed at reducing the volume of municipal waste going to landfill. The funding allocated for England will be around £84m for 2003-4 and £92m for each of the financial years in the period 2004 – 2006. The reformed Landfill Tax Credit Scheme will maintain funding at current levels of around £47m per year for local community environmental projects. In addition, the scope of the scheme is being extended to include habitat creation projects that support biodiversity. The Government is proposing to introduce regulations making these changes by the summer of 2003.
Although the SU report was directed towards assessing policies for achieving targets set out in the Landfill Directive for reducing the volume of biodegradeable municipal waste going to landfill, the Government acknowledges that its responsibility covers all waste streams. It also accepts that more should be done to reduce commercial and industrial waste entering landfill as this accounts for over 90% of the 375 million tonnes of waste currently produced in England each year. The Government is relying largely on EU ‘producer responsibility’ directives to deal with much of this waste, including packaging, electrical and electronic equipment and vehicles. It believes that the lack of available information on the level of this waste generated is preventing the introduction of targets on specific businesses or sectors at the present time but a data programme, co-managed by DEFRA and the Environment Agency, is being set up to address this. However, at present the Government’s preferred option for controls is voluntary agreements with industry.
On special or hazardous waste, the response outlined a number of ongoing initiatives, including a proposed review of the Special Waste Regulations 1996 (as amended). After consultation, it is proposed to replace these with Hazardous Waste Regulations later in 2003, which should be fully in line with the EU definition of hazardous waste.
In conclusion, the Government has set out a variety of initiatives, several of which have already been implemented, to deliver the demanding EU targets for reducing the landfilling of municipal waste in the period 2006 to 2016. There is less government commitment at present in relation to other waste streams, although it anticipates that implementation of EU directives on packaging, end of life vehicles and waste electrical and electronic equipment should result in significant reductions in the volumes of wastes covered by this legislation. The Environmental Services Association, the trade body for the UK's waste management industry, has welcomed the setting of clear deadlines but says that the policies outlined will be insufficient to catch up with the level of sustainable waste solutions seen in other European countries. It remains to be seen whether the current and proposed policies will succeed and allow the UK to escape the high level of fines likely to be imposed on the government if it misses the targets set under the Landfill Directive.
For further information please contact Mark Rutter at
mark.rutter@cms-cmck.com.
