England set to overshoot diversion targets in 2020

The government's Waste Strategy Board has been told that while the country is in line to miss its 2013 landfill diversion targets, targets for 2020 are expected to be overshot by 715,000 tonnes.

The revelation came at the January 22 meeting of the board at which officials from bodies such as Defra, BERR and the Environment Agency were given an update by Defra's Waste Infrastructure Development Programme (WIDP) on future prospects for waste treatment infrastructure in the UK.

Minutes from the meeting said: “Views were sought from the board on recommended actions to address over or under-delivery of diversion capacity in the target years 2012 to 2020.

“The board were asked to note the forecast shortfall in capacity of 431,000 tonnes per annum for 2012, based on current assessment of risks affecting likelihood of delivery.

It added: “The forecast position for 2020 was 715,000 tonnes per annum overcapacity.”

C&I

While the possibility of overcapacity could lead to councils spending money on waste treatment facilities unnecessarily, the meeting suggested that it could be put to good use in tackling the problem of commercial and industrial (C&I) waste – for which there are currently a limited number of recycling and recovery facilities.

In discussions on a draft paper outlining Defra's aims for C&I waste, the board was asked to “consider how to utilise any potential over-capacity from waste infrastructure in 2020 and use this to tackle C&I waste”.

The board's members noted that: “Public service procurement was a useful driver for influencing businesses to adapt more sustainable practices and this should be utilised to a greater degree.”

In the paper, which was presented by the head of the department's wastes management division, Roy Hathaway, and his colleague Trudie Mansfield, the issue of a lack of available data to help shape C&I waste policy was highlighted.

The report said that, while Defra was working with waste management companies and the Environmental Services Association on a short-term solution to that particular issue, it was also looking at a longer-term answer, including “a possible national survey”.

It also raised the issue of “the reluctance of some local authorities to extend their trade waste collection schemes due to concerns about exceeding their LATS allowances – noting that it had particular impact on small businesses that did not create enough waste to viably use a commercial contractor.

Warning that “it would be challenging to take the work on C&I waste forward in a co-ordinated way”, the board was asked to look at how its partner organisation, the Waste Stakeholder Group, could be used to make this happen.

The meeting also heard that BERR was in the process of looking at “potential quick wins” to allow businesses to reduce their waste management costs through “greater resource efficiency”.