Government response
Introduction
The Government welcomes the Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs Committee's report on the Waste Strategy for England
2007 and agrees that changing the way England manages its waste
is still a significant challenge. The Government wants to prevent
waste occurring, conserve resources and recover all value from
materials.
The Government welcomes the Committee's recognition
of the good progress that has been made in tackling household
waste. Statistics published in February 2010 show that 38% of
household waste is being recycled as of June 2009 and we are on
track to meet our and EU household waste recycling targets. The
Government will continue to work closely with local government
and citizens to drive further improvements over the next few years.
It is now necessary to build on the progress demonstrated
in the municipal sector by taking greater action to ensure that
resource efficiency is at the heart of all business decisions
and make it easier for businesses to re-use and recycle the waste
that is produced. The Policy Statement on Commercial and Industrial
Waste published last year was a first step and since the Committee's
inquiry, work is already underway to implement the actions it
contained. A national survey of commercial and industrial waste
in England will be completed this year and the data collected
will inform the possible setting and monitoring of any future
targets.
The Government has published consultations on restricting
certain waste from landfill; and the inclusion of a greater proportion
of commercial waste in landfill diversion targets will progress
work on reducing further the amount of waste ending up in landfill
from all sources. The Government will also consult on the legislation
needed to give effect to the revised Waste Framework Directive,
which enshrines in law the waste hierarchy, prioritising waste
prevention.
Defra will shortly publish its Climate Change Plan
setting out what it is doing to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions
in the UK and how this will help deliver the legally binding emissions
reductions target of 34% by 2020 (compared to 1990 levels). For
the waste sector, the Plan will outline how Defra expects to reduce
emissions from waste through implementation of a range of additional
policy measures which act to reduce the amount of biodegradable
waste generated; divert biodegradable waste from landfill; and
capture and treat more methane produced by landfill. Action in
the waste sector will also contribute to emissions savings in
other sectors, for example through greater resource efficiency,
waste prevention, increased recycling and creating energy from
waste.
This document sets out the Government's response
to the Committee's conclusions and recommendations on the Waste
Strategy.
Response to conclusions and recommendations
OMISSIONS FROM THE WASTE STRATEGY 2007
1. Defra has belatedly focused its attention on
commercial and industrial waste policy but its recent statement
failed to set firm targets for these sectors. We remain unconvinced
that current policies for tackling commercial and industrial waste
are sufficiently robust to drive maximum improvement in these
sectors. There are insufficient mechanisms specific to these sectors,
rather a reliance on general incentives such as avoidance of landfill
tax and economic benefits from lower wastage levels. For example,
while Defra's proposal to include commercial waste in targets
set for the UK under the Landfill Directive is a welcome indication
of its ambition for the sector, this will not in itself drive
action. Nor does this entail the setting of specific targets for
more sustainable management of commercial waste which is diverted
from landfill. The department should urgently hold a round table
with representatives from commerce and industry to develop waste
reduction, re-use and recycling benchmarks to provide companies
with a better idea of what they can be expected to achieve. The
department should also develop an action plan setting out the
steps the sector can take to achieve these levels. (Paragraph
16)
The Government agrees that there needs to be a higher
level of ambition in dealing with commercial and industrial waste.
The absence of reliable and up to date data on commercial and
industrial waste has made it difficult to set and monitor high-level
targets in this area. Defra will consider whether targets are
required in light of the findings of the national survey on commercial
and industrial waste arisings in England which will be conducted
during 2010. In its Commercial and Industrial waste statement,
published in October 2009, Defra committed, alongside the Department
for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), to consult stakeholders
on the possibility of a new, single standard on waste minimisation
for business. This could potentially include specific benchmarks
on waste management against which a business could measure its
own performance. Defra and BIS will discuss this further with
representatives from commerce and industry in the first half of
2010.
2. Businesses must demonstrate to customers that
they are improving their recycling rates. Retail outlets, restaurants
and pubs should be required to publish information on what they
are doing to improve their waste management and increase recycling.
(Paragraph 17)
The Government will keep this recommendation under
review in light of progress in encouraging higher recycling rates
of commercial waste but has no immediate plans to require businesses
to publish information on their waste management and recycling
practices.
The Government, through WRAP, is working with retailers
to reduce waste at source through its retail supply chain programme.
Many retailers already report the amount of waste they produce
and have targets to reduce waste to landfill under the British
Retail Consortium's "Better Retailing Climate" initiative.
3. Defra's lack of up-to-date data on the commercial
and industrial waste streams has hampered the development of waste
reduction policies for this sector and made it very difficult
to monitor progress in this area. Defra must now commit itself
to developing a full and up-to-date data set for this sector.
Whilst we welcome the department's commitment for a new "survey
of the sector", one-off activity is no substitute for the
establishment of regular information flows. We recommend that
Defra set out an action plan on how it will collate the detailed
data which is already being collected for operational purposes
in order to provide performance information for the sector. (Paragraph
18)
The survey of commercial and industrial waste in
England that Defra is carrying out in 2010 will provide a valuable
dataset to measure progress and benchmark future policies. It
is recognised that obtaining data on arisings and management of
these particular waste streams from existing administrative sources
would provide a more robust and regular data source in the long
term. As the report states, some information is already collected
from waste management sites. Other information is not so readily
available, being either not stored electronically (such as recorded
on waste transfer notes), or, in the case of arisings from business
sectors, held in internal systems by the commercial waste management
industry.
Defra and the Environment Agency are exploring ways
to gain better access to this data in the future. The Environment
Agency-led Electronic Duty of Care project, which is currently
in its pilot phase, provides one potential improvement in accessing
operational data voluntarily for statistical purposes in electronic
form.
LANDFILL BANS
4. Whilst we welcome the announcement that Defra
will consult in 2010 on banning certain substances from landfill,
we believe it is being too generous in allowing up to another
decade to pass before these materials are not allowed to be landfilled.
Defra should have the courage of its convictions and go for a
more ambitious timescale to implement this change by 2015. (Paragraph
22)
A consultation on restrictions on the landfilling
of certain waste in England and Wales was published on 18 March
2010. The consultation examines the case for restricting wastes
such as food, wood, green waste, paper/card, metals, glass, plastics
and textiles from being sent to landfill.
The consultation invites comments on a number of
aspects relating to the case for introducing bans including the
appropriate lead-in times for different options considered for
restricting landfill.
If the Government chooses to introduce any of the
options a lead-in period is likely to be required to enable local
authorities and businesses to make the necessary adjustments to
their waste collection arrangements and for alternative infrastructure
to develop. The Government's aim in providing lead-in times for
landfill bans would be to strike the right balance between providing
certainty of the change to come on one hand, with the need to
allow sufficient time for the development of alternative infrastructure
and procedures on the other.
Research carried out to inform our consultation identified
lead-in times for the introduction of landfill bans in case studies
in other countries of periods between 2 and 12 years. Other research
suggested that it would be difficult to implement landfill restrictions
in less than five years, particularly in the case of waste types
which would rely significantly on treatment infrastructure (food,
wood and garden waste). Should the Government choose to proceed
with restrictions to landfill a decision would be made on appropriate
lead-in times in light of the responses to the consultation and
the nature of the restriction to be introduced.
WASTE PREVENTION
5. Defra should publish, within six months of
the completion of the Zero Waste Places pilots, a comprehensive
strategy on waste prevention with a clear set of timetables and
targets. The Waste Strategy Stakeholder Group should give priority
in its work programme to the provision of waste prevention advice
to ensure that Defra gives prevention sufficient attention in
its waste policies. (Paragraph 27)
Waste prevention is an important priority. There
is currently a wide portfolio of existing initiatives on waste
prevention which include: the Zero Waste Places Pilots; consumer
and business facing waste campaigns;[1]
voluntary agreements with the commercial sector such as the Courtauld
Commitment; and the UK Packaging Strategy. In addition the Government
has published research into household waste prevention.[2]
Defra is already working on a product roadmap process
as part of its sustainable consumption and production work, which
helps us better understand and reduce the environmental impacts
across the lifecycles of the most significant product groups in
UK consumption including food and drink, appliances, buildings,
transport and textiles. To achieve improvements in the sustainability
of key products, lifecycle evidence is gathered and voluntary
action plans are developed and then implemented, working with
stakeholders across the supply chain. Sustainable design is one
of the key factors in improving the environmental performance
across the supply chain, contributing to waste prevention across
these products.
The revised Waste Framework Directive requires member
states to produce Waste Prevention Plans by December 2013. We
will be scoping out proposals to do this over the course of 2010,
building on current initiatives and research and will invite the
Waste Strategy Stakeholder Group to provide early input into our
policy development.
PREVENTING RETAIL WASTE
6. Retailers with a turnover greater than £50
million per annum should be required to publish details of their
waste prevention strategies, including details of the targets
they have set for waste reduction by type of material. (Paragraph
31)
The retail sector is an important part of the UK
economy, but we believe it would not be logical to consider it
in isolation. In developing a Waste Prevention Plan, the Government
will consider what interventions will make a difference to waste
prevention across the economy including in the commercial and
industrial sector.
In developing a wider Plan, we will build on the
success of the first Courtauld Commitment with the grocery sector.
We have been working with WRAP and target organisations in negotiating
the Courtauld Commitment Phase Two which will put a greater emphasis
on waste prevention than the current Commitment, and looks at
doing so across the supply chain, which we believe to be a more
fruitful approach.
SINGLE USE CARRIER BAGS
7. We congratulate retailers on their progress
to date to reduce the use of both plastic and paper single use
carrier bags but, given the billions still being given out each
year, greater effort to reduce their use is required. Defra should
work with retailers to ensure that all adopt the practice of exemplar
companies which have removed bags from check-outs and are promoting
low-cost, re-usable bags. The British Retail Consortium should
work with its members to help UK retailers achieve a minimum bag
reduction target of 60% by 2012. (Paragraph 35)
The Government is continuing to work closely with
retailers to significantly reduce the distribution of single use
carrier bags. A voluntary agreement with Britain's leading supermarkets
(which cover around 75% of the grocery market), represented by
the British Retail Consortium (BRC), achieved a 48% reduction
in the distribution of single use carrier bags between May 2006
to May 2009 against a 50% target by May 2009.
This voluntary agreement builds on an earlier agreement
with 21 leading retailers to reduce the environmental impact of
carrier bags between May 2006 and December 2008. The results of
this earlier agreement were a 26% reduction in numbers of bags
distributed by participating retailers, and a 40% reduction in
the environmental impact of carrier bags.
These voluntary agreements have encouraged retailers
to develop and employ the methods they feel most appropriate to
reduce the number of bags they give out, which include (but are
not limited to) the removal of carrier bags from checkouts and
the stocking and promotion of reusable bags or 'bags for life'.
The BRC and the Association of Convenience Stores have also developed
guidance for retailers, recommending these among other measures.
Defra has developed a 'toolkit' of materials for
retailers to complement its recent media campaign on carrier bags
encouraging consumers to reuse and reduce the use of single use
carrier bags. The toolkit will include downloadable posters, window
stickers and 'point-of-sale' checklists for retailers. The checklists
promote various options for reducing the numbers of bags given
out, including those made by the Committee on removing bags from
checkouts and stocking more sustainable alternatives.
The Government and the BRC are now working towards
a shared aspiration for an eventual long term reduction of 70%.
A full review of progress and of the level of success of current
policy initiatives is scheduled for summer 2010.
MINIMISING FOOD WASTE
8. We welcome moves by retailers to offer customers
the choice of buying produce which, for aesthetic reasons, cannot
be marketed as top category products. We urge all retailers to
develop a wide range of such products for sale. We also urge all
retailers to distribute to charities such as Fareshare any food
which can legally and safely be used and to give explicit permission
to their suppliers to do likewise with branded products. (Paragraph
39)
9. We recommend that Defra requires food retailers
and manufacturers to report the tonnages of food waste from their
businesses at least on an annual basis. Defra should also work
with the food industry to ensure that retailers give suppliers
sufficient flexibility to be able to minimise wastage, including
disseminating examples of industry best practice. (Paragraph 40)
The Government is committed to working with retailers
and manufacturers to reduce the amount of food waste from their
businesses. Food manufacturers and retailers who are signatories
of the Courtauld Commitment report waste arisings to WRAP, to
inform of progress against targets and many retailers report the
amount of waste they produce and have targets to reduce waste
to landfill under the British Retail Consortium's ''Better Retailing
Climate'' initiative.
Signatories of the Courtauld Committment work with
WRAP in the development and dissemination of best practice that
can be shared with the retail sector. The Government has also
worked with businesses to develop products that lead to less waste—whether
through innovative packaging design or simply introducing pack
sizes more in line with contemporary consumer demand. The successor
to the first Courtauld Commitment which has recently been negotiated
will set stretching new targets for the sector and is aimed at
reducing the carbon impact of packaging further and reducing the
amount of food, drink and non-food product wastes.
The Government is working with industry through WRAP
and Envirowise on a project to quantify supply chain waste arisings
and identify the reasons why waste occurs. This work will develop
'resource maps' for the retail and wholesale supply chain for
food products such as fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fish.
Findings from the research underpinning this project will be published
in 2010 and we will work with the food industry in developing
and disseminating good practice guidance.
The Government welcomes moves by retailers to make
available for sale produce that would otherwise be outgraded as
they were deemed aesthetically unacceptable, but is not in a position
to determine, aesthetically, what should and should not be provided
for sale. We have through WRAP undertaken to establish a more
detailed picture of what types and quantities of waste or loss[3]
are occurring through the manufacturing stage of the retail supply
chain, which would include outgraded products alongside waste
resulting from damage and production residues/by-products. This
will also identify potential solutions, and WRAP will be developing
working groups with the food industry to tackle this waste/loss.
The Government welcomes the contribution that organisations
such as FareShare make by collecting and redistributing perfectly
edible food that would otherwise become waste. To varying extents,
FareShare is already part of many retailers' strategies for effectively
dealing with surplus food that could not otherwise be sold. In
terms of ensuring flexibility to avoid food waste is given to
food suppliers, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs has recently written to all of the major UK supermarkets,
urging them to think about how they can provide more support to
FareShare, including ensuring that explicit permission is given
to suppliers to redistribute surplus 'supermarket own brand' products.
HOUSEHOLD WASTE REUSE AND RECYCLING
10. We welcome progress that has been made nationally
on increasing levels of household recycling. We recommend that
the Government set a more ambitious recycling target of 50% of
household waste to be recycled by 2015 and 60% by 2020. It should
also commission a report to explain the reasons for significant
differences in the rates of recycling and prepare an action plan
to assist poor performing local authorities to improve their domestic
recycling levels. The Government should require local authorities
to provide all householders with information on an annual basis
explaining what actually happens to domestic waste sent for recycling
and the environmental impact of their recycling activities. This
information should also be collated nationally so that best practice
can be disseminated. (Paragraph 47)
The Government set out its domestic aspirations for
recycling of household waste in England at 40% by 2010; 45% by
2015; and 50% by 2020 in the England Waste Strategy. The 50% target
is in line with the EU wide target set out in the revised Waste
Framework Directive. Statistics published in February 2010 show
that significant progress has been made on recycling of household
waste in the last decade from around 8% to 38% as of June 2009.
The Government acknowledges there is more to be done to match
the performance of the best countries, and make progress on meeting
the current target of 50% by 2020.
Government is working with local authorities and
business to facilitate and encourage recycling and agrees that
although we are on course to meet the recycling targets currently
set out in England overall, there is more work to be done to ensure
regional variations in recycling performances are tackled. Through
WRAP we are providing tailored support to local authorities including
prioritising support to lower performing authorities and this
will continue as WRAP develops plans for their work in next the
few years.
The Government accepts that informing residents of
where material is sent for recycling and how it is recycled can
be effective in persuading them to participate in recycling collections.
Local authorities, however, are best placed to make decisions
on the best way to communicate with their residents. All local
authorities are being encouraged to sign up to the recently launched
Waste Collection Commitment, developed by WRAP and the LGA. This
draws on the views of consumers and sets out the principles of
a good recycling service. One of those is for local authorities
to collect as many materials for recycling as possible, and then
to explain clearly what happens to it. The Commitment aims to
help local authorities improve residents' satisfaction with how
their rubbish and recycling is collected and ultimately boost
recycling rates.
11. Although it is important that maximum levels
of re-use and recycling of waste are achieved, this must not be
at the expense of efforts at national and local level to prevent
waste arising in the first place. (Paragraph 48)
The Government agrees that action on waste prevention
is a high priority. Defra will be consulting on how best to give
the waste hierarchy (which prioritises waste prevention as the
most desirable option) legal force, as required by the revised
Waste Framework Directive. In taking forward policy that implements
the waste hierarchy, we will give each step of the hierarchy—including
prevention as well as re-use and recycling—the attention
it requires. Our response to the recommendation at paragraph 27
of the report gives more detail on ways we are already working
to achieve this for waste prevention.
ENGAGING THE PUBLIC ON TEXTILE REUSE AND RECYCLING
12. We support the Government's work to increase
the levels of re-use and recycling of clothing. We recommend that
Defra encourage retailers to do more to help customers recycle
their clothes, for example by providing information in stores
on facilities available at civic amenity sites, local drop bins,
charitable collections and charity shops. Clothes labels should,
where possible, remind purchasers not to bin items but to pass
them on for re-use or recycling. (Paragraph 51)
13. Defra should consult manufacturers to develop
standards and criteria for whole-life assessments of the environmental
impacts of different kinds of textiles and use this information
to promote the use of more sustainable materials in clothing.
(Paragraph 52)
A priority for the Government is maximising reuse
and recycling of clothing under the Sustainable Clothing Roadmap.
An Industry Work Group, convened as part of the Roadmap, published
a report on "Maximising the Reuse and Recycling of UK Clothing
and Textiles",[4]
clarifying the evidence and establishing key next steps for the
industry.
The Action Plan for the Sustainable Clothing Roadmap
sets out agreed stakeholder action in priority areas to improve
the sustainability performance of clothing. In our Action Plan,
many retailers have committed actions to provide in-store take
back facilities, for the reuse and recycling of clothes in conjunction
with charities and recyclers. Reuse and recycling organisations
as well as their industry associations have also committed to
promoting reuse and recycling to consumers and business. This
has informed the consumer information Defra has provided on reuse/recycling[5]
at Direct Gov. Defra welcomes the exploration of further communication
options to promote greater reuse and recycling by consumers.
International standards and criteria for sustainable
design of products such as textiles currently exist but Defra
acknowledges that practical tools and guidance customised for
clothing would benefit the industry. The Sustainable Clothing
Roadmap looks at improving environmental performance across the
supply chain and well-known brands have committed actions on sustainable
design and some initial tools development to support this in the
Sustainable Clothing Action Plan.
HOUSEHOLD WASTE INCENTIVES SCHEMES
14. Defra must improve its support to local authorities
in explaining more clearly the benefits which can arise from households
reducing their domestic waste volumes. The department should now
produce a report explaining how a more rational regime for charging
for domestic waste collection and disposal can be proceeded with.
If public commitment to recycling is to be developed, local authorities
must firstly make it clear to people what the current costs of
waste collection are and express such figures in terms of cost
per bin, bag or wheelie bin. (Paragraph 57)
The Government through WRAP gives advice and support
to councils on the benefits of waste prevention, including through
the Love Food Hate Waste Campaign and the Waste Prevention Toolkit.
The Climate Change Act powers allow Local Authorities
to provide incentives for householders who reduce the amount of
residual waste they produce. The existing powers allow local authorities
to develop a pilot scheme which best suits the needs of their
area, including variable incentives. The Climate Change Act allows
for up to five waste incentive schemes to be piloted. Once the
results of a pilot or pilots have been reported to parliament,
the powers can be rolled out more widely. The powers in the Climate
Change Act remain available for use, and interested councils are
invited to contact Defra or WRAP, who may be able to provide advice
or support.
The costs of collection vary widely between authorities
depending on their location and the systems/services they choose
to provide. Many councils provide information to householders
about these costs and the measures they are taking to reduce waste
alongside the council tax bill and we would encourage all councils
to make clear to taxpayers the cost of collecting and disposing
of their waste.
BUSINESS WASTE REUSE AND RECYCLING
15. Support services to help businesses increase
their re-use and recycling of materials have proven themselves
to be extremely cost-effective, particularly in the case of the
National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP). We recommend that
Defra re-evaluates the impact that cuts in funding for the Waste
Resources Action Programme and NISP is having on business waste
re-use and recycling levels and the missed opportunities for economic
growth decoupled from environmental degradation. The department
should confirm that rationalisation of services under WRAP has
released efficiency savings and explain how WRAP will work with
local government, businesses and regional agencies to enable them
to serve a wider range of organisations. (Paragraph 62)
The Government acknowledges the excellent work delivery
bodies such as WRAP and NISP have done over the years in helping
the UK meet its challenging waste objectives. We would not wish
to see a reduction in the quality of support such bodies provide
to businesses to help improve their resource efficiency. With
this in mind the Delivery Landscape Review carried out in 2008/09
was focussed on how such support could be more efficiently delivered
for the benefit of businesses and the public purse, with the outcome
being that WRAP would become the single co-ordinating body for
such support. It is anticipated that this move to a single delivery
body will bring about real savings of some £4.6m in 2010/11.
WRAP is currently preparing its business plans for the 2010/11
year which will outline how it intends to address the many challenges
it faces, including in the areas of re-use and recycling, and
build upon the many achievements it and other delivery bodies
have already made.
WRAP has a considerable level of involvement with
third sector organisations and is looking to develop its work
in this area through sectoral representatives during 2010-11,
as part of the work of the new single English material resource
efficiency body. In addition, it has a team dedicated to work
with local government and authorities which includes helping them
to develop plans for locally-based campaigns such as providing
advice to local organisations and businesses on opportunities
for waste reduction and avoidance. As part of the rationalisation
of the delivery landscape in this area, WRAP is developing and
refining its existing regionally-based approach to business resource
efficiency advisory services, in line with its ongoing engagement
with regional agencies, to help ensure a close relationship with
these and awareness of individual regional needs. A key theme
in all regions in coming years is likely to be developing working
relationships with small-medium sized enterprises (SMEs), which
make up the majority of the UK's companies. WRAP will also be
responsive to customer need in development of new products and
services, where a shared or widespread need is identified by research
and experience.
LOCAL AUTHORITY SUPPORT FOR BUSINESSES
16. We recommend that Defra reviews whether the
Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme is having a negative impact
on council provision of waste services for businesses. (Paragraph
65)
The Government through the consultation on 'Changing
the UK's Approach to Meeting the Landfill Directive Targets' which
was launched on 18 March 2010 is reviewing the Landfill Allowance
Trading Scheme (LATS) as it asks whether LATS, in relation to
other policies such as landfill tax, is still an effective policy
to assist England in meeting its share of the Landfill Directive
targets.
The consultation seeks views and evidence on this
issue and the range of policies Defra should be pursuing to ensure
that England meets its targets. This will shape further work Defra
intend to conduct to assess the impact of existing policies to
divert biodegradable waste from landfill ahead of a planned second
consultation. We anticipate that the impact of LATS on council
provision of waste services for businesses will be a consideration
in this wider assessment of the policies needed to ensure England
meets its landfill diversion targets.
The Commercial and Industrial Waste Policy Statement
that was published on October 2009, set out that an increasing
number of local authorities were interested in offering a trade
waste collection service. In 2009 nearly 40% of the 148 English
local authorities were offering a trade waste service, a ten per
cent increase from the previous year. In addition the BREW Centre,
received bids from 64 LAs and public sector organisations totalling
£2.9 million for trade waste collection schemes in 2009/10.
Of these 64 projects Defra is currently funding 15 local authority
projects worth £560k via the BREW Centre in 2009/10. Such
a response illustrates that LAs and the public sector are keen
to do more in this area.
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY WASTE REUSE AND RECYCLING
17. We recommend that the Government should identify
more specific criteria than the current project value which could
be used to determine which projects require a Site Waste Management
Plan. We are concerned that some smaller construction companies
find it difficult to comply with Site Waste Management Plan provisions
to the same extent as larger companies. Defra should work with
the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to raise small
and medium sized construction companies' awareness of their legal
responsibilities on waste and to encourage them to view it as
a resource. We further recommend that the Environment Agency puts
greater effort into enforcing construction waste requirements
such as Site Waste Management Plans across the construction sector.
It should publish a report by December 2010 showing what progress
they have made in this respect. (Paragraph 68)
The Government is committed to undertaking a review
of the Site Waste Management Regulations during the course of
2010/11. This review will look again at the specific criteria
used to determine which construction projects require a Site Waste
Management Plan (SWMP).
Local authorities and the Environment Agency have
a shared power to enforce Site Waste Management Plans. The
Environment Agency has taken a number of specific actions
to promote compliance with SWMPs nationally. The NetRegs website
(www.netregs.gov.uk),
part run by the Environment Agency, is specifically targeted at
small and medium-sized businesses in the UK and provides free,
comprehensive environmental guidance, including a "Simple
Guide to Site Waste Management Plans". Defra has been working
with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and industry
representatives, within the context of the Strategy for Sustainable
Construction, to encourage greater material resource efficiency
across the construction industry, including by smaller and medium-sized
companies. Defra will consider with BIS what additional support
or advice might be made available. WRAP is working with a number
of Government Departments and Agencies including the Department
of Health, the Ministry of Justice, Defence Estates, Partnerships
for Schools, and the Homes and Communities Agency on waste reduction
plans in their own construction projects.
The Environment Agency is currently trialling targeted
enforcement of SWMPs in the South East of England, working where
necessary with local authorities. This work is one element of
the Waste Crime Innovation Programme and will help determine what
would be needed to take a more pro-active approach to SWMP. The
outcome of this pilot will be available by December 2010.
18. Defra ought to work more closely with both
the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department
for Communities and Local Government to realise the opportunities
that both reclamation and salvage present. More use should be
made of the knowledge and expertise of the Building Research Establishment.
(Paragraph 69)
The Government accepts this recommendation. The Defra
funded Construction Resources and Waste Platform conducted a survey
of the reclamation and salvage industry in 2007 which found that,
since the previous survey in 1998, there had been a downward trend
in reclamation for most of the key material groups, with the exception
of ceramics (mainly bricks). Defra will work with other Government
Departments to promote the financial and environmental opportunities
that greater reclamation and salvage can present. The Building
Research Establishment regularly undertakes work for various Government
Departments on a range of construction-related issues, through
either framework contracts or open tenders. There is no reason
to believe that this will not continue in the future.
WASTE CLASSIFICATION
19. We recommend that funding is continued for
the protocols work to develop standards to define when a wide
range of waste material ceases to be waste, with arrangements
also being made to provide widespread publicity of its conclusions.
The Environment Agency should produce a report highlighting where
the biggest gains could be made if certain materials were declassified
as waste. (Paragraph 73)
The Government supports both the adoption by the
European Commission of EU-wide end-of-waste criteria under Article
6 of the revised Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC); and the
development of national end-of-waste protocols by the Environment
Agency and WRAP. The Agency's development of national end-of-waste
protocols is funded through grant-in-aid and it is a matter for
the Agency to determine the allocation of the grant provided to
it. The potential gains to the environment and businesses are
factors taken into account by the Environment Agency in their
selection of the types of waste for which end-of-waste protocols
are developed and the Agency produces a financial impact assessment
for each protocol that is developed.
ENVIRONMENTAL PERMITTING PROGRAMME
20. There is some evidence that Environmental
Permitting thresholds are being set in ways that deter rather
than encourage re-use of materials. Since recycled metal is a
valuable secondary raw material, a specific review of waste regulation
for the metals industry should be undertaken to ensure that regulatory
burdens are proportionate to the health and environmental impacts
of this sector. Any change in the rules that might result must
ensure that metals, a valuable resource, are not discarded but
re-used. (Paragraph 76)
The Government welcomes the Committee's acknowledgement
that Defra, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Environment
Agency have recently completed a comprehensive review of the waste
exemptions from environmental permitting. The review included
two public consultations with a view to providing regulation that
is proportionate to the health and environmental risk posed by
different waste recovery and disposal operations. The Government
notes that the Committee also acknowledges that in respect of
certain uses of construction waste the Government has raised the
threshold from those proposed in the consultation below which
operators may benefit from an exemption. The changes were made
in light of the responses and in order to encourage the use of
recycled wastes in bona fide construction projects.
Revised thresholds for exemptions for a range of
waste recovery and disposal operations have been set out in the
Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) (No.2)
Regulations 2009 which will come into force on 6 April 2010. The
regulations widen the scope of the exemptions for small-scale
low risk operations, and will reduce costs for many businesses
by providing registration of all exempt operations free of charge.
However the regulations limit the exemption from permitting for
larger-scale higher risk operations that merit greater assessment
and inspection proportionate to the health and environmental impacts
of the sector. This includes some larger metal recycling operations
as well as composting, land reclamation and land-spreading. The
changes made to the metal recycling exemption will mean that small-scale
operations handling relatively uncontaminated waste will continue
to benefit from an exemption that will be free to register. Larger-scale
operations and those involving the handling of de-polluted vehicles,
oily wastes etc will require an environmental permit. The Government
has however, allowed existing exempt operators who will need to
apply for a permit, until the end of September 2013 to do so.
The Government will monitor the scope of the new
waste exemptions and review them as appropriate.
21. The duty regime for waste fuel oils is acting
as a deterrent to the re-use of such oils, increasing the likelihood
of illegal dumping and providing a perverse incentive for industry
to use virgin fossil fuels. The Government should impose lower
levels of duty on waste fuel oils which meet quality specifications
determined by the Environment Agency. (Paragraph 79)
Waste derived fuels have been subject to excise duty
since November 2008, as a result of the ending of a derogation
from the EU Energy Products Directive (EPD) which previously allowed
the UK to exempt these fuels from duty. The European Commission
rejected the UK's application to extend the derogation, so under
the terms of the EPD, duty must be charged on these products at
the same rate as for the nearest equivalent fuel—in this
case, fuel oil, for which the current duty rate is 10.37 pence
per litre. This is the lowest duty rate applied to fuel in the
UK. It is not possible under the terms of the EPD to apply the
EU minimum rate just to waste oils in the UK, nor to charge a
reduced rate of duty, unless the duty rate is directly linked
to product quality. In order to apply a lower rate of duty to
waste derived fuels, the Government would need to be convinced
that these products were substantially different in quality from
conventional fuel oil, and offered environmental benefits over
other fuels, including virgin fuels. The Government does not accept
that there is any compelling evidence that this is the case.
The EU Waste Oils Directive requires Member States
to take measures to give preference to the regeneration of waste
oil above combustion, and although that Directive is being repealed
by the revised Waste Framework Directive (WFD), the revised WFD
includes a "waste hierarchy" with recycling (in this
case waste oil regeneration) above energy recovery in the priority
order. Accordingly, there is no excise duty on waste heavy oil
regenerated back into virgin lubricants under existing legislation.
Re-using waste oils as fuel does not constitute recycling, but
is classed as energy recovery, which therefore falls below true
recycling in the waste hierarchy. Reducing the level of duty on
processed waste oils used as fuel could be viewed as giving an
incentive to waste management operations lower down the waste
hierarchy. Furthermore, it would be a disincentive to anyone wishing
to invest in regeneration technology. The revised WFD requires
Member States to give effect to the hierarchy as a priority order
in "waste prevention and management legislation and policy."
Member States are obliged to transpose the revised Directive by
12 December 2010.
Environment Agency records do not show an increase
in incidents of illegal disposal of waste oils since the imposition
of duty in 2008.
COMPOSTING
22. We welcome the work by Defra and the Environment
Agency to develop quality protocols on compost products. (Paragraph
81)
23. We recommend that Defra undertake an analysis
of the trade-offs between the use of food waste in anaerobic digestion
and composting to determine the optimal method of food waste disposal.
(Paragraph 82)
The Government's view is that sustainable and effective
waste management requires the application of many technologies.
The solution for waste treatment and disposal at Greater Manchester[6]
is a good illustration of the application of this principle as
it involves recycling, in-vessel composting as well as mechanical
and biological treatment, combustion and anaerobic digestion.
Evidence commissioned by
both Defra and WRAP has concluded that anaerobic digestion delivers
the best environmental outcomes for dealing with food waste when
compared to in-vessel composting (IVC) or combustion with energy
recovery.[7]
We are, nevertheless, carrying out a review of existing
evidence as part of our work to develop policy on energy from
waste. We are engaged on two projects which will help clarify
the respective position of anaerobic digestion and composting
within the waste hierarchy. This spring we intend to publish guidance
to local authorities on how to treat the waste most commonly arising
in the municipal sector. This will contain specific advice on
food waste treatment. The recently formed, cross-government energy
from waste project will go even further to help clarify the issues
surrounding different energy from waste technologies and waste
management options.
Defra is keen to ensure that food waste is treated
in the optimal way. This treatment will depend on specific circumstances
on the ground as a 'one size fits all approach' is not practical.
For source segregated food waste, Defra encourages anaerobic digestion
(AD) wherever possible as it not only produces digestate which
can be spread on land, returning nutrients to the soil, but also
biogas which can be used for energy production or as a transport
fuel. This is why the Government wishes to see a much greater
uptake of AD by local authorities, businesses and farmers.
24. Although there is a significant proportion
of homes that are unable to compost, home composting (including
of all food waste using systems such as bokashi, green cone and
jora) has considerable potential for reducing residual waste sent
to landfill and for making refuse collection more hygienic and
thus reducing problems of hygiene and odour associated with alternate
weekly waste collections. (Paragraph 83)
Defra fully supports home composting and have worked
in partnership with WRAP to further the uptake of this important
measure to reduce waste going to landfill. The Recycle Now home
composting programme started in 2004 by offering subsidised bins,
with the support of local authorities, to householders across
England. As a result, the programme has encouraged approximately
1.1 million households to start composting at home. The use of
these compost bins has meant that over 260,000 tonnes of waste
has been diverted from the waste stream each year.
The programme has successfully demonstrated that
home composting is a simple method that many of us can implement
to reduce the amount of waste put out for collection and going
to landfill. As compost bins are now freely available in many
retail outlets, the campaign currently focuses on providing advice
and support to novice and more experienced composters.
With regard to hygiene issues for alternate weekly
collections, WRAP and the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management's
research in July 2009[8]
looked specifically at this issue and found no evidence of adverse
health effects of alternate weekly collection of residual waste.
25. Local composting of food waste from institutions
such as schools and hospitals and groups of restaurants (including
those in Parliament) should also be encouraged using similar systems.
Not only would this reduce collection costs and the negative environmental
effects of transportation but the resulting compost is also a
valuable resource for household and community use (for example
in local food production). However, we also support separate collection
of household and other food waste, particularly where home composting
is not feasible. We recommend that the Government sets a target
for mandatory collection of food waste, learning lessons from
those authorities already operating such schemes in which food
waste is put to beneficial use such as in an anaerobic digestion
plant. To maximise the beneficial use of food and garden waste
advice, education and practical support should be made available
by local authorities. Such support should include securing discounts
or providing subsidies for composting equipment, taking into account
the outcome of Defra's analysis of the optimal method of food
waste disposal. (Paragraph 84)
The Government agrees that local composting can make
a valuable contribution to diverting food waste from landfill
whilst creating a useful product. Through WRAP the Government
has previously financed the distribution of over 1.8 million compost
bins to homes in England each of which will divert around 150kg
a year of organic waste from
the household waste stream. This programme has successfully demonstrated
to local authorities the business case for continuing to encourage
home composting, including through the use of subsidies. Decisions
on how these wastes should be managed should be done at a local
level. While the Government has ended its programme of central
subsidies, it welcomes the fact that a joint procurement by local
authorities has made an alternative arrangement for those local
authorities that wish to use it.
WRAP continues to provide support to both households
and local authorities to encourage home composting, including
practical advice to home composters through a range of media and
by engagement with local community groups[9]
and businesses.
The Government is also supporting the separate collection
of food waste for in-vessel composting and, in particular, anaerobic
digestion plants which provide beneficial and marketable outputs—compost
and digestate—with in addition energy recovery from AD.
WRAP has published research into the most effective
ways to collect food waste and provides technical and practical
support to local authorities to help them establish suitable collection
schemes. Through WRAP, the Government is also supporting the development
of food waste collections, providing £3.3m in funding for
setting up new collections or expanding current ones; this funding
should lead to collections for at least an additional 350,000
households. Currently some 150 local authorities are providing
food waste collection services for all or part of their areas.
The Government does not favour setting additional
specific targets for local authorities. It will however be consulting
on the possibility of banning food waste from landfill in the
future, and as part of that consultation we will consider whether
and to what extent it would be necessary to mandate local authorities
and those collecting from commercial premises to provide separate
collections of food waste. The Government has stated that it would
like to see all local authorities collecting food waste by 2020.
ENERGY FROM WASTE TECHNOLOGY
26. To ensure that only energy efficient methods
of generating energy from waste are adopted, the Government should
require planning applications for such plant to demonstrate how
heat produced will be captured and used. (Paragraph 90)
The Government is committed to making full use of
the potential of waste as a resource. We strongly support the
most energy efficient recovery options and as a result encourage
Combined Heat and Power (CHP) wherever feasible. The current planning
system and the draft overarching National Policy Statement on
Energy already facilitates the suggestion of the Committee by
requiring that EfW plants demonstrate that they have investigated
CHP and made appropriate decisions with regard to heat uptake.
However, the uptake of CHP depends on the local market for heat,
and the Government is taking action to encourage full utilisation
of the heat produced, through the Renewable Heat Incentive due
to come into operation in April 2011.
PLANNING BARRIERS
27. We recommend that planning processes be streamlined
by allowing an application for an Environment Agency permit to
be made either in parallel with, or prior to, application for
planning permission for waste infrastructure, as local circumstances
dictate. Planning should also be speeded up for minor extensions
to existing waste operations on current sites by applying permitted
development rights in these circumstances. (Paragraph 94)
The planning process already allows the parallel
tracking of applications for planning permission and environmental
permitting in respect of new installations. In respect of some
specified waste operations however, the permit may not be granted
until relevant planning permission is in place. This approach
accords with a joint Defra / CLG response to a consultation on
improving the interface between the planning and pollution control
regimes. Defra, CLG and the Welsh Assembly Government are currently
working with consultants to develop a protocol and supporting
guidance directed towards the Environment Agency and local authorities
to provide practical improvements for applicants concerning the
interface on the two regimes in a number of different scenarios.
The adoption of Permitted Development Rights for
minor changes to waste management operations will be reviewed
in accordance with a programme of work laid down by CLG.
28. We urge the Department for Communities and
Local Government to set out an action plan to improve the skills
within, and support available to, local authority planning departments
for handling one-off or occasional waste facility applications.
(Paragraph 95)
The Government recognises the importance of having
sufficient skills in local government to handle all forms of planning
applications, and not just waste. That is why it continues to
put in place initiatives to build local authority capacity. These
have included: the Post Graduate Planning Bursary Scheme; the
provision of Planning Delivery Grant/Housing Planning and Delivery
Grant; and funding the Homes and Communities Agency Academy (HCAA),
ATLAS (Advisory Team for Large Applications) and the Planning
Advisory Service (PAS). The Government will also provide support
to planners and other local authority staff in England engaged
in climate change activities to help increase their skills and
knowledge. Recently, ATLAS have expanded their remit to cover
commercial applications including waste. They are able to offer
local authorities that do not have sufficient capacity to deal
with major applications support and advice.
29. We do not support extending the scope of the
National Policy Statement relating to biomass and energy from
waste plant to smaller facilities as this would reduce local involvement
in planning decisions. The Government should produce up-to-date,
clear guidance on the environmental impacts of energy from waste
operations as people need to know whether incineration is "safe".
This guidance should inform planning decisions on energy from
waste technologies and enable debate to be focussed on site specific
issues. (Paragraph 98)
The Government believes that planning applications
for nationally and regionally important waste management and renewable
energy generation facilities should be considered for both their
national and local impacts and contributions, not limiting the
scope to site specific issues. We agree that it is not appropriate
to extend the scope of the National Policy Statement at this stage,
especially since the Infrastructure Planning Commission will only
start to take planning applications from the energy sector from
1 March 2010.
Currently, there is widely distributed and freely
available in-depth information on the health impacts of energy
from waste (EfW). Emissions from incinerators are regulated to
a very high standard through the Waste Incineration Directive
(WID) to protect health and the environment. The WID applies stringent
requirements to any incineration or other thermal treatment of
waste, either on its own or if co-incinerated along with other
material. Emission standards under WID are more stringent than
for other forms of energy generation from combustion.
Emissions from municipal waste incinerators have
fallen considerably in recent years. For example, according to
the Health Protection Agency, the incineration of municipal solid
waste (MSW) accounts for less than 1% of UK emissions of dioxins.
Research carried out to date shows no credible evidence
of adverse health impacts for those living near EfW plants/incinerators:
Health risks from waste incineration were shown to be "small
in relation to other known risks"—according to an independent
study, peer-reviewed by Royal Society in 2004.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has recently reviewed
research undertaken to examine the suggested links between emissions
from municipal waste incinerators and effects on health. The HPA's
advice was published in September 2009.[10]
The HPA say that while it is not possible to rule out adverse
health effects from modern, well regulated municipal waste incinerators
with complete certainty, any potential damage to the health of
those living close-by is likely to be very small, if detectable.
Their view is based on detailed assessments of the effects of
air pollutants on health and on the fact that modern and well
managed municipal waste incinerators make only a very small contribution
to local concentrations of air pollutants.
The recently formed, cross-government energy from
waste project will go even further to help clarify the issues
surrounding different energy from waste technologies with regard
to informing planning decisions.
FINANCE BARRIERS
30. Development of significant new waste management
infrastructure is heavily reliant on the Private Finance Initiative,
which has been able to secure long-term funding for large scale
projects. However since the PFI approach has draw-backs, including
potential inflexibility, Defra should review its future role in
funding the provision of waste infrastructure to ensure that,
where it is appropriate, projects include contractual arrangements
which provide for flexibility to meet changing circumstances.
(Paragraph 103)
PFI, and the associated use of long term contracts,
has provided significant value for money benefits at both programme
and project level. The use of PFI and long term contracts have
helped attract the estimated £6.4bn of private sector investment
that is required for the UK to meet its EU Landfill Directive
Targets. Such contracts have also, significantly, provided the
platform for greater carbon efficiencies: not only as a consequence
of providing waste management infrastructure for diversion away
from landfill but also providing in many cases a long term source
of renewable energy and heat. The PFI model and its associated
use of long term contracts also provides benefits that are in
our view difficult to replicate in other procurement models with
perhaps shorter term contracts. The unique benefits of PFI include
private sector capital at risk for the length of the contract
and whole life cycle budgeting from the public sector perspective,
thereby assuring that the relevant assets are appropriately maintained
for the life of the assets. The PFI model also transfers risks
to the private sector concerning the delivery and performance
of the assets that are being procured. Although elements of such
risk transfers may be replicable with shorter term contracts,
in our experience it is unlikely that the same degree of risk
transfer would be obtainable under procurement models adopting
shorter term contracts.
We do not consider that technological flexibility
is an issue unique to PFI contracts; the curtailment of technological
flexibility needs to be managed in the context of any procurement
model which seeks to realise the benefits of placing private sector
capital at risk. Even where public sector capital is utilised
for infrastructure development the sunk costs of such public sector
capital will need to be evaluated in the context of a proposition
concerning a change to the original technology choice.
Against the above backdrop we consider that an appropriate
degree of flexibility has been built into the PFI model. Local
authorities have the right to voluntarily terminate such contracts
(with appropriate compensation being payable to the private sector).
Furthermore, change mechanisms are included in such contracts
to ensure that variations, such as for example a further facility,
are provided on a value for money basis. In relation to managing
changes in volume of the residual waste stream, the standard waste
PFI contract developed by Defra's Waste Infrastructure Delivery
Programme (WIDP), includes provisions which oblige the private
sector to source waste from sources other than the local authority.
This provision has been included to provide local authorities
with further flexibility concerning the management of municipal
waste streams.
We therefore consider that use of PFI and associated
long term contracts will provide Defra's waste programme and projects
with overall value for money and will deliver the infrastructure
needed to fulfil the Landfill Directive targets. Any additional
need for Defra to have a role in delivery infrastructure beyond
this will of course be carefully considered.
LANDFILL TAX
31. We recommend that the Government extends the
escalator for landfill tax up to at least 2020 in order to enable
the waste industry to plan on a longer term basis. (Paragraph
105)
The Budget 2009 announced that the standard rate
of landfill tax will continue to increase by £8 per tonne
on 1 April each year from 2011 to 2013. This is so that the tax
continues to incentivise investment in more sustainable alternatives
e.g. anaerobic digestion, recycling and sorting machinery, to
reduce reliance on landfill and deliver emissions savings equivalent
to 0.7 Mtco2 by 2013.
The Chancellor continues to monitor and review taxes
as part of the budget process, considering the overall balance
between fiscal, economic, social and environmental objectives.
ILLEGAL WASTE EXPORTS
32. The small number of prosecutions for illegal
waste exports does not give a true picture of the potentially
much larger scale of illegal waste exports from this country.
It concerns us that the competent authority for regulating waste
exports does not currently have full access to intelligence on
potential illegal waste exports. It is vital that liaison between
all the relevant agencies tackling waste crime is improved and
the Government should seek the first available opportunity to
remove legal impediments to full information sharing between the
Environment Agency and other agencies monitoring exports, including
the police, HM Revenue and Customs and the UK Border Agency. In
addition the Government should liaise with the Home Office and
the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that the Proceeds of Crime
Act can fully bear down on the illegal profits which can be gained
from this lucrative trade. (Paragraph 112)
The Environment Agency works closely with other enforcement
authorities in combating the illegal trade in waste. The Government
agrees that all the competent authorities for the waste import
and export controls in the UK should be able to share information
and data on waste shipments held in particular by HM Revenue and
Customs and the UK Border Agency to help combat the illegal trade
in waste. The Government is proposing to bring forward amendments
to the regulations relating to the transfrontier shipment of waste
to provide an appropriate information gateway for the competent
authorities to enable this to happen and to come into force in
October 2010.
ILLEGAL EXPORTS OF WASTE ELECTRONIC AND ELECTRICAL
EQUIPMENT (WEEE)
33. There is evidence that regulations prohibiting
the export of waste electronic and electrical equipment have been
circumvented on a wide scale by those passing off waste equipment
as functioning equipment for legitimate export. We support changes
to the regulatory regime to ensure that only fully functioning
electronic and electrical equipment is exported from the UK. (Paragraph
114)
The Environment Agency has been targeting its enforcement
activity on the illegal export of waste electrical and electronic
equipment (WEEE) in particular, and the Agency reports there is
evidence that this increased enforcement activity is having a
positive effect in reducing the illegal trade. The rules on waste
shipments are set out at EU level. The principle measure is the
EC Waste Shipments Regulation (1013/2006) which in tandem with
UK legislation allows the movement of WEEE for recovery within
the EU and to OECD countries outside the EU. The Government recognises
that unscrupulous operators can circumvent these controls by passing
off WEEE as working, non-waste equipment and exporting it to developing
countries. The Government does not accept that the waste shipment
controls themselves require amendment but that increasing the
enforcement of the controls will help to combat the illegal trade,
and this is happening.
LITTER AND FLY-TIPPING
34. We recommend that the Government review how
councils are using statutory provisions to tackle fly-tipping
and littering. It should develop incentives (both carrots and
sticks) for councils to utilise fully their powers on these issues.
The outcome of this work should be made available within 12 months.
(Paragraph 118)
The Government keeps councils' use of statutory provisions
in these areas under constant review through the data submitted
to the Flycapture database and local authority Fixed Penalty Notice
returns. In addition, through the work Keep Britain Tidy has been
doing with local authorities on both flytipping and littering,
we have a good understanding of the extent to which different
statutory provisions are used, and the role they play in local
authorities' strategies. Local authorities and other stakeholders
will have an opportunity to contribute to the debate on statutory
powers and duties at events being organised by Keep Britain Tidy
in March. The Government will continue to consider whether any
additional incentives to further use these powers are necessary.
35. Regulatory income is insufficient to fund
enforcement of regulations and Defra must ensure that additional
resources are made available. Private landowners who are victims
of fly-tipping should also be given assistance in cleaning up
their property, using revenue from the penalties imposed for waste
crime. We recommend that Defra identifies and brings forward proposals
to address barriers to enforcement, including lack of awareness
of powers and sanctions, across Government departments. (Paragraph
120)
In addition to the normal funding routes used by
local authorities and the Environment Agency to enforce flytipping
regulations, the Government provides specific funding to support
their work in the form of training, guidance and publicity material.
Defra also funds the Environment Agency's Waste Crime Innovation
Programme which seeks to identify novel techniques for tackling
waste crime. Revenue from court awarded fines is returned to the
Exchequer, although local authorities may retain the revenue from
issuing certain Fixed Penalty Notices. In considering whether
additional incentives to further use of enforcement powers are
necessary, Defra will also consider any barriers to enforcement
and possible solutions.
36. We welcome Defra's announcement that it is
establishing trials of re-usable and refillable packaging. The
Government should make public the findings of the outcomes of
these trials, in particular how cost-effective different methods
of re-using packaging prove to be. (Paragraph 122)
The Government, through WRAP, has part funded 5 trials
on re-useable packaging. Two of the trials are complete and the
reports have been published. In both cases, businesses have implemented
the findings of the research and used re-useable packaging on
the relevant products. Argos and Homebase are now using re-useable
covers for the sofas both from those produced in the UK and those
produced overseas. This initiative will save 1800 tonnes of packaging
per year. The implementation of re-useable packaging for kitchen
worktops in B&Q has saved £1 million a year both from
less packaging and a marked reduction in product damage.
The remaining three trials are progressing well and
each could lead to a significant reduction in packaging and cost.
The key issue for each project is how consumers respond to the
innovation. In each case the research results will be published
and used to encourage other businesses to adopt the findings.
WRAP's voluntary agreements to reduce packaging with the grocery
sector (the Courtauld Commitment) and the home improvement sector
are important to help encourage uptake of these innovations.
The main challenge of re-useable systems is that
they often require substantial changes to the existing supply
chain. Given that supply chains can stretch around the world,
it can take time for full scale roll out of new approaches. Independent
research demonstrating the benefits of the change is therefore
central to help build the business case for re-useable packaging.
37. The Government should also evaluate the practicalities
of applying a small "clean up" levy to products, including
smoking materials, drinks and confectionary including chewing
gum, which, together with their packaging, contribute the largest
volumes of litter. Revenues could be distributed to local authorities
to help clean up their neighbourhoods. (Paragraph 123)
The Government currently does not have plans to introduce
a "clean up" levy. Placing a "clean up" levy
on products would tax equally those that dispose of their waste
responsibly and those that litter. Ultimately, the problem we
are tackling with littering is a behavioural one. The problem
is not the buying and consuming of these products but dropping
them on the ground and therefore current policies are based on
behavioural change. The Government supports behaviour change campaigns
such as those it funds through Keep Britain Tidy and those funded
by gum manufacturers through the Defra-led Chewing Gum Action
Group.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
March 2010
1 A consumer facing waste campaign was launched in
October 2009 with the objective of encouraging committed recyclers
to reduce waste and reuse unwanted items, as well as to recycle
as much as possible. Campaign activity included national radio
and press adverts. Back
2
http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module=More&Location=None&ProjectID=16161&
FromSearch=Y&Publisher=1&SearchText=WR1204&SortString=ProjectCode&SortOrder=Asc&Paging=10 Back
3
'Waste' is defined as any substance or object which the holder
discards or intends or is required to discard; whereas 'loss'
is defined as loss of use within the primary market. For example,
produce outgraded from primary use-i.e. sale to consumers-that
is used for animal feed would not be considered 'waste' but would
be considered 'loss'; both of these fall within the scope of the
WRAP supply chain project. Back
4
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/business/products/roadmaps/clothing/evidence.htm Back
5
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Environmentandgreenerliving/Greenerhomeandgarden/Greenershopping/DG_064424 Back
6
http://www.eib.org/epec/infocentre/documents/EPEC%20GMWDA%20Note-Final.pdf Back
7
"Dealing with food waste in the UK"-Eunomia report to
WRAP, March 2007; and "Carbon Balances and Energy Impacts
of the Management of UK Wastes" ERM report to Defra, December
2006. Back
8
http://www.wrap.org.uk/local_authorities/research_guidance/collections_recycling/health_effects.html Back
9
WRAP provides support to the Community Composting Network to allow
them to expand the number of community based composting activities. Back
10
http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1251473372218
Back
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