A consultation has been issued proposing to amend the levy paid by waste collection authority members to joint waste disposal authorities (JWDAs).
” Government has recognised failings in the current funding system for the JWDAs and is committed to altering these.“
– Fiona Tranter, Defra
There are six JWDAs in England, including four in London as well as those of Greater Manchester and Merseyside.
The current system of waste disposal payments – based on the number of band D properties in a collection authority area – is seen as unfair and has caused conflict among authorities.
Councils with a large population have to pay a higher levy to the joint disposal authority than those with a smaller population, even if they are sending less waste for disposal because of their recycling activities.
One authority that has been particularly plagued by the issue has been the North London Waste Authority, which has been unable to provide the London Mayor with a joint waste strategy because of disagreement over the issue (see letsrecycle.com story).
Incentives
Since payments are not based on the tonnage of waste collected, Defra said the levy also does not give direct incentives to minimise or recycle waste.
The levy system within a JWDA can be changed by a unanimous vote by its collection authority members, but Defra believes because of disagreements within JWDAs and the need to boost recycling rates, the default system needs changing.
As part of the consultation, Defra is proposing to replace the levy with a tonnage-based payment system so that collection authorities pay for the tonnage of waste they send to their JWDA for disposal.
Inequitable
Defra policy advisor Fiona Tranter explained: “The current funding system for JWDAs treats constituent councils inequitably, as compared to the cost the council would incur, were it responsible for its own waste disposal.
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“The levy results in a different per tonne disposal charge for each council within any JWDA. There is no effective financial incentive within the JWDA system for WCAs to minimise the levels of waste arisings or to invest heavily in reuse, recycling or composting schemes. These factors have created tension within the JWDAs and have hindered progress towards more sustainable waste management in these areas.
“Government has recognised failings in the current funding system for the JWDAs and is committed to altering these,” Ms Tranter said.
The consultation is running until Friday October 28, and is available on Defra's website.
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