“A waste service in crisis”: Key UK Councils body backs Gove's drive to make producers pay for waste
30 Jan 2019 --- Strong support has come from the UK Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) for the Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme (EPRS) as proposed by the UK government. This scheme would see the costs of collection, recycling and disposal of packaging be incurred by producers rather than councils. The proposal is part of the government’s Waste and Resource Strategy launched by Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Michael Gove, last month, which hopes to overhaul the nation’s “throwaway society.”
The association wants to see greater investment in the UK’s waste processing capacity, particularly with so much uncertainty in the current political climate, it notes in a statement. However, it’s too early to say how Brexit may impact the UK’s waste industry, although the association is following the situation closely, to Steve Read, Vice Chair of ADEPT's Waste Group, tells PackagingInsights.
“We all know that the funding system for place-based services is under unprecedented pressure and waste is no exception. Local authorities have to make tough decisions about where budget is spent. However, to continue to provide the waste and recycling services that the public expects, current systems need to change,” says ADEPT President Neil Gibson.
“Responsibility for managing packaging must lie with the producer. Not only will this reduce the burden on local authorities, but it will also provide incentives for long-term investment and give markets greater certainty,” he adds.
As laid out in the strategy launched in December, businesses and manufacturers will have to pay the full cost of recycling or disposing of their packaging waste, up from just 10 percent at the moment. The government will introduce a consistent set of recyclable material for collection, which will see industry pay higher fees if their products are harder to reuse, repair or recycle. It will encourage sustainable design, subject to consultation.
Other key proposals included the introduction of deposit return schemes and ensuring weekly collections of food waste for every household.
The strategy builds on the Autumn Budget announcement that food and beverage companies may be taxed on plastic packaging that contains less than 30 percent recycled content. At the time, the tax was described as aiming to “transform the economics of sustainable packaging” and place the UK as “as a world leader” in tackling the scourge of plastic littering. The tax is said to come into force in April 2022, following a period of consultation on the detail and implementation timetable.
Informing Defra
The alliance's paper – Resources and Waste policy position – will inform ADEPT’s official response to the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) when it consults on various aspects of the government’s strategy.
ADEPT represents local authority county, unitary and metropolitan Directors. It proactively engages central Government on emerging policy & issues, promoting initiatives aimed at influencing Government policy, according to the association.
“Increasing our own ability to reprocess recyclables is essential if we truly want to create a circular economy in the UK,” says Paula Hewitt, Chair of ADEPT’s Environment Board. “We have to reduce our reliance on overseas markets for managing waste and recyclables. Energy from waste technology offers both energy security and a reduction in the environmental impact of transporting our waste abroad, so it is critical that councils and their partners are not subject to an ‘incineration tax.’”
Indeed, Richard Kirkman, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Veolia, notes that the policy position of ADEPT highlights that the government has listened to local authorities and industry in its Resources & Waste Strategy.
“The stage is set for success if funds are delivered in the right place – to those that implement policy – and a simple system developed. The next critical step is to engage in the upcoming consultations to ensure packaging is more recyclable, is collected more consistently and ultimately more recyclable material is reprocessed into new products,” he further explains.
UK recycling has faced some pressures in 2018, such as a potential investigation into allegations of illegal conduct as well as mounting costs following China’s restrictions on imports of mixed paper and plastics. At least 20 percent of UK councils have felt a direct impact from this, with some noting increased recycling costs of US$647,000 (£500,000) since the restrictions, a poll by the Local Government Association (LGA) revealed.
Amid such problems plaguing the industry, the government’s strategy aims to reshape the waste sector from a linear, to a more circular model.
“Plastic offers a fantastic environmental solution for fresh food and medical devices, but we make the horrible assumption that this is a plastic problem. It’s us that are the problem,” Kenton Robbins, the Managing Director of PFF, tells PackagingInsights.
Editing by Laxmi Haigh
