The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has confirmed that the review of waste policy could be published as late as June, letsrecycle.com can reveal.
The government had originally committed to publishing the results of its review in May 2010, with ministers said to have taken home draft copies over the Christmas break (see letsrecycle.com story).
However, speaking to letsrecycle.com last week, a Defra spokeswoman said were looking at May-June, but did not provide an exact date.
Industry sources have speculated for some time that Defra may aim for a June publication in order to tie it in with the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) Conference 2011 in partnership with the Environmental Services Association, which is taking place in London between June 14 and 15.
It was at the same event in 2010 then known as Futuresource that environment minister Caroline Spelman outlined plans to hold a review of existing policy (see letsrecycle.com story).
A call for evidence ran between July 29 and October 7 2010, with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) also running an online survey and hosting a waste discussion website between July 29 and September 9 2010.
Themes
More themes of the review are beginning to emerge as the publication date nears, with the Department setting out some of the key issues, such as a new lighter approach to enforcement, in January 2010 (see letsrecycle.com story).
It is also understood that food waste is set to take a key role (see letsrecycle.com story).
And, Defra has already written to councils indicating that it plans to scrap the Landfill Allowances Trading Scheme as part of the review (see letsrecycle.com story).
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