Chapter 4: Summary of Conclusions and
Recommendations
The Opportunity
149. The information we received indicated that
there are likely to be considerable amounts of waste which could
be used as a resource in a bioeconomy. There is, however, no single
source of this information and it has proved very difficult to
get a clear picture of the quantities available for use. In our
view, there is therefore an urgent need for improved information
on the availability, quantities and quality of waste now and in
the future. (paragraph 41)
150. We conclude that there are promising signs
that a waste based bioeconomy could deliver substantial economic
returns and support a considerable number of jobs. While there
is clearly uncertainty in these predictions, it seems, however,
that there is significant promise and the Government, industry
and academia should take steps to further characterise this opportunity
and ensure its full potential is realised. (paragraph 47)
151. Although it can be difficult to provide
a precise evaluation of environmental impacts, the evidence we
received suggested that in general there are environmental benefits
from making use of waste as a resource. We conclude that more
consistent approaches for analysing environmental benefits are
needed so that the size of the opportunity can be better understood.
(paragraph 57)
Government strategy
152. We recommend that a Minister in the Department
for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is given responsibility
for the development of a waste-based, high value bioeconomy. The
Minister should be a champion for waste as a high value resource
and should coordinate activities across Government. The Minister
responsible should ensure the production of a long-term plan,
with at least a 15 year horizon, to support the development of
a high value waste-based bioeconomy. This plan should be produced
by early 2015. (paragraph 71)
153. In developing a long-term plan for a high
value waste-based bioeconomy, we recommend that the Department
for Business, Innovation and Skills examines the strategies used
by other countries to extract maximum value from waste, both successes
and failures, and identifies approaches which would afford the
UK the greatest economic opportunity. (paragraph 74)
Research and Development
154. We therefore recommend that the Research
Councils and the Technology Strategy Board should collaborate
to ensure that the funding environment nurtures research on extracting
high value from waste and developing a bioeconomy in the UK. (paragraph
84)
Information on Waste
155. We recommend that the Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills takes steps to ensure that information on
both domestic and non-domestic waste streams is collated in a
way which enables it to be used as a resource. Information on
sources of waste, quantities, composition, location and changes
over time needs to be made available in a way which allows industry
to make informed investment decisions on how to extract maximum
value from waste resources. Industry needs to engage with the
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as a matter of
urgency to agree ways in which this can be achieved for non-domestic
waste streams. A clear owner needs to be identified to collate,
and make available, such holistic information on waste as a resource.
This may be an evolution of the functions of the Waste and Resources
Action Programme (WRAP). The Department for Business, Innovation
and Skills should draw upon this improved information in producing
the long-term plan for a high value waste based bioeconomy. (paragraph
99)
156. We recommend that the Department for Business
Innovation and Skills takes steps to ensure that consistent approaches
to whole systems analysis are adopted to ensure that the
environmental impacts of processes and products can be compared
effectively. (paragraph 103)
Availability of Waste
157. The Department for Business, Innovation
and Skills, in developing a long-term plan for a high value waste-based
bioeconomy, should ensure that waste is collected in such a way
as to enable it to contribute fully to a high value waste-based
bioeconomy. To this end, we recommend that the Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Communities
and Local Government adopt a far more ambitious approach to waste
collection in order to ensure that waste is collected and treated
in a way that maximises the potential for it to be used as a resource.
To enable this, we recommend that local authorities are offered
further guidance to enable them to put in place waste collection
facilities, and make planning decisions on waste infrastructure,
which maximise the value which can be extracted from waste. We
recommend that a long-term policy goal should be the creation
of a more standardised system of waste collection across local
authorities which views waste as a valuable resource. (paragraph
120)
158. We look forward to this consultation and
recommend that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills,
in developing a long-term plan for a high value waste-based bioeconomy,
takes its findings into account. (paragraph 125)
Stimulating Investment
159. We recommend that the Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills (BIS) ensures that sufficient funding is
given to knowledge transfer and near market research and that
there is adequate capacity in demonstration facilities across
the UK. In particular, BIS should regularly review whether the
capacity of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult continues to
be sufficient to support projects, particularly at later Technology
Readiness Levels. In addition, we note that the Green Investment
Bank has made a promising start in helping to reduce the risk
of high capital intensive projects. To this end, we recommend
that successive Governments support its mission. (paragraph 137)
160. We recommend that the Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills, in producing a long-term plan for a high
value waste-based bioeconomy, reassesses the current approach
of providing incentives to support specific sectors. The approach
to the taxation and incentive structure should focus on providing
policy stability, ameliorating market distortions and not inhibiting
the extraction of high value from waste. (paragraph 148)
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