Memorandum by Sea and Water (RC 20)
INTRODUCTION
1. Sea and Water was set up in 2003 to provide
a representative voice for the inland waterways, short sea and
coastal-shipping industry, and to promote water freight as a viable
alternative to the movement of freight on the UK's roads. Sea
and Water is funded by the Department for Transport and by annual
subscriptions from 130 members from the water freight industry
in the UK.
2. Transportation of waste is a significant
activity for the water freight sector. Many of our members are
engaged in the delivery of waste services. Their views are incorporated
in this submission.
3. Our evidence is brief, and is limited
to a single, highly important, point. That is in our view, any
inquiry into waste services must take account of the way it is
transported to the recycling facility, to the incinerator or to
the landfill site. This element of the logistics chain can have
a significant environmental impact, and we believe that a low
carbon transport mode, such as water, should be favoured wherever
possible.
4. We would be very happy to amplify any
of the points we make here either in writing or in oral evidence
to the Committee.
SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT
6. Much attention has been devoted to campaigns
to increase the level of domestic and commercial recycling, with
some success. However, there is much less focus on the use of
sustainable transport to move waste. All too frequently materials
travel to the disposal site by road, and rail and particularly
water are comparatively under-used.
7. For example, in London, according to
the London Mayor's Strategy Report (2003), of the 2.7 million
tonnes of waste transported out of the capital in 2001-02:
— 27% was transported by rail.
— 27% was transported by barge on The
Thames.
— The remainder was moved by road.
8. However, there is considerable potential
to move waste products via the UK's 2,200 miles of inland waterways,
rivers, estuaries and 11,072 miles of coastline. Water transport
is the ideal mode to move waste and recycling because it is not
time sensitive.
9. The UK is also exporting materials for
reprocessing from the UK's leading container ports at Felixstowe,
London and Southampton. It is logical that waste and recycling
materials should be transported by water within the UK to these
ports.
Table
UK EXPORTS OF RECYCLABLES TO CHINA, 1997-2005
|
| Plastics
| Paper and Board |
Metal |
|
| 1997 | 0 |
4,000 | 8,000
|
| 1998 | 1,000
| 2,000 | 7,000
|
| 1999 | 4,000
| 5,000 | 14,000
|
| 2000 | 5,000
| 6,000 | 115,000
|
| 2001 | 7,000
| 49,000 | 130,000
|
| 2002 | 11,000
| 160,000 | 120,000
|
| 2003 | 26,000
| 349,000 | 377,000
|
| 2004 | 63,000
| 1,089,000 | 286,000
|
| 2005 | 42,000
| 1,527,000 | 324,000
|
|
| Notes: Overseas Trade Statistics
| |
| Source: DTI | |
| |
| Metal includes waste and scrap of precious metal or ferrous metal, copper, nickel, aluminium, lead, zinc, tin, tungsten and tantalum.
|
10. The benefit of water transport is that by substituting
for road transport it reduces congestion, and cuts pollution.
A single 300-tonne barge takes 15 lorry journeys off the road—and
domestic water transport emits 80% less carbon dioxide than lorries
and 35% less nitrogen oxide.
11. We urge the Committee to keep in mind that the objective
of recycling and of the drive to cut landfill is to reduce emissions.
However, successes in achieving this objective are undermined
if road vehicles are used to transport waste materials. Water
transport should therefore be preferred.
RECOMMENDATIONS
12. We hope that the Committee will recommend that it
be a requirement for waste authorities to ensure that companies
tendering for contracts should include water transport as part
of their logistics solution.
13. We urge the Committee to invite the Government to
ensure that planning policy favours the safeguarding of wharves
that are or could be used for the loading and unloading of waste
onto water transport. Access to quaysides is vital for the effective
handling of waste materials.
|
