Minister tells councils to demand greater quality

Councils need to be more demanding of waste contractors to produce higher quality recycled material, Recycling Minister Lord de Mauley has claimed.

The Minister made the comments at the representative body for local authority chief officers, the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transports (ADEPTs) annual conference in Manchester last week (November 21).

During his speech, Lord de Mauley said that creating high quality recycled material is important for supporting growth in the economy and that councils needed to look closely at the quality and end destinations of the waste for which it is responsible.

He said: Local authorities have an important role in promoting high quality recycling. You should not be afraid, in your procurement of services, to become more demanding of the level of quality achieved and where the material ultimately ends up.

As collectors of recyclable waste, Im sure you recognise that the way you run the collection service, and particularly your communications with householders can affect quality.

Action Plan

The Minister added that the government was seeking to address concerns over the quality of recycled material by developing a Quality Action Plan, which he said would be produced shortly. The Action Plan is intended to improve transparency throughout the recycling supply chain.

He said: High quality standards in recycling operations are important to support growth by maximising the economic value of the waste material collected. Revenue from the sale of quality recyclates can provide an income stream to local authorities, householders and businesses, which may in turn encourage investment in the sector.

We intend to develop and publish an Action Plan for consultation on the quality of recyclates shortly which sets out our vision for improving the quality of recycling. More generally, DCLGs reform of planning regulations will assist in delivering growth of the waste industry.

The Minister highlighted the financial benefits of waste minimisation, claiming that as much as 23 billion could be saved by adopting resource efficiency measures.
He said: More efficient use of resources, including waste prevention and the management of waste produced has the scope to make a significant positive contribution to the economy.

The English economy has the potential to save over 23 billion through low and no-cost resource efficiency measures, which will benefit Local Authorities directly through measures they implement, and indirectly by a reduction in waste management costs.

Infrastructure

And, Lord de Mauley claimed that additional opportunities existed for the private sector in designing, building and operating the additional waste treatment infrastructure needed to treat the waste generated in the UK, and that new infrastructure would help create jobs.

He added: The type of jobs created will change as the UK moves to more complex technological solutions for waste management. These are likely to require a higher level of competence, skilled labour, professional and technical roles.