The Chancellor, George Osborne, unveiled the 2012 Budget yesterday (March 21) (see letsrecycle.com story) which included a range of environment measures with plans to radically shake up the planning system, confirmation of a rise in the landfill tax by 8 per tonne to 72 in 2013 and confirmation of legislation later this for an increase in packaging recycling targets.
Mr Osborne revealed that the government would publish the National Planning Policy Framework next Tuesday which would be the biggest reduction in business red tape ever undertaken with favour given to sustainable developments while protecting the environment.
The proposal has been welcomed by the UKs waste management industry with trade association the Environmental Services Association welcoming the budgets support for infrastructure development.
Among the waste companies, support for the planning changes came from former ESA chairman Ian Goodfellow, managing director of Shanks UK. He said: Shanks welcomes the changes that the government is proposing to introduce to streamline the planning system. We welcome the opportunity to work with communities, rather than against them, in delivering new facilities in their areas and believe that the dialogue that the government is encouraging between applicants and communities is crucial to creating a sound, sustainable planning system.
John Cridland, director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said: The new planning framework should encourage local authorities to help boost growth while striking the right balance with social and environmental sustainability.
Concerns
While the industry indicated support for the planning changes, environment campaign group Friends of the Earth expressed concerns about the impact the changes could have.
Andy Atkins, Friends of the Earths executive director, said: This Budget sticks two fingers up at David Camerons promise to build a clean future and gives a massive thumbs down to new jobs and cutting our reliance on expensive gas and oil.
He added: Trashing planning rules will do nothing to develop a fair and resilient economy we need the right kind of development in the right place, with investment in clean energy and warm, affordable homes. Osborne says new planning rules will protect our most precious environments but unless they address the environmental challenges we all face, ministers will pave the way for a development free-for-all that will cost us all a fortune in the long run.
Packaging
Also in the Budget the Chancellor confirmed plans to introduce higher packaging targets for businesses which were unveiled by Defra in December 2011 (see letsrecycle.com story).
The waste management industry and reprocessors have welcomed the targets but some organisations believe the measures do not go far enough.
Expressing its concerns a statement from the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) said: This is not the pro-green economy budget for which we might have hoped. While CIWM welcomes confirmation that packaging targets will increase between 2013 and 2017 we would like to see more support for UK-based recycling and reprocessing capacity.
Despite the Chancellors broad commitment to developing the right infrastructure for the future, it is also disappointing that measures to increase investor confidence in the waste sector, including a longer term plan for Landfill Tax and more detail on the remit and lending criteria of the Green Investment Bank, were not forthcoming.
PRN
The Resource Association also welcomed the targets but said the government missed the opportunity to review the PRN/ PERN system to level out the playing field for UK plastic reprocessors.
Ray Georgeson, chief executive of the Resource Association, said: A reduction in the PERN value for exported mixed plastics to 60% of the weight of mixed plastics exported would have been a welcome boot for UK reprocessors. Without this, the new targets feel like a leg-up, but still with one hand tied behind our backs.
Energy
Elsewhere in the Budget the Chancellor identified the need for infrastructure investment using clean energy and plans to simplify the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme.
This was welcomed by the Renewable Energy Association however it warned that a better understanding of the economics of renewable energy investment was needed if the UK was to move away from its reliance on fossil fuels.
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