Policy round-up

Keep Britain Tidy highlights links in campaign messages

The message comes in a report from Keep Britain Tidy, which now includes WasteWatch. In a report published this week it looks at a range of issues related to the environment, waste and recycling and reasons that there is a danger that people believe they are living sustainably just by recycling or participating in one or two sustainable behaviours.

Launching the report , Love where you live at the Resource exhibition in London this week, Tim Burns, policy manager for Keep Britain Tidy, said: We are not afraid to talk about values. If people care, they become engaged and passionate. They are more likely to vote for the social good.

Endorsing the document, Ray Georgeson, chief executive of the Resource Association, said that he welcomed the more campaigning role in the waste sector now being taken up by Keep Britain Tidy since it joined with WasteWatch. He added that he felt in terms of recycling targets and environmental measures, besides campaign work more needed to be done in terms of the markets and regulation. He suggested there should be more focus on a circular economy and that the topic be taken away from Defra with the creation of a director of circular economy position within the Department for Business.

Scottish urban businesses complying with new regs

Following a series of unannounced inspections by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) it has reported that levels of compliance with the new Waste (Scotland) Regulations are encouragingly high amongst urban businesses.

The inspections targeted a cross section of major food producers and large to medium scale businesses in each of Scotlands four major cities, including restaurants chains, hotels, leisure and entertainment premises, such as cinemas, to assess the measures currently in place for segregating dry recyclable materials and food waste.

But, compliance among smaller independent restaurants and cafs indicated a lower level of awareness of the new regulations and additional efforts are to be made by SERA to support this sector to improve their waste segregation systems.

Of the 57 premises inspected, 42 (74%) businesses were either fully or broadly compliant with the new requirement to recycle, including 33 (82%) of large food businesses – with each business demonstrating a high level of awareness towards the new regulations, alongside a preparedness to comply.

Under the new Waste (Scotland) Regulations, which came into effect on January 1 2014, all businesses, not-for-profit organisations and public sector bodies are required to separate recyclable materials including glass, metal, plastic, paper and cardboard for collection. Food businesses in urban areas which produce more than 50kg per week of food waste also have to separate food waste for recycling.

SEPAs National Waste Unit Manager, Adrian Bond said: To have compliance ratings of this level so early in the year is extremely encouraging, especially amongst Scotlands largest waste producers. Even though the inspections only sampled a fraction of businesses affected by the regulations, the results are a valuable insight into the levels of investment by the waste industry and overall business compliance, which we expect to be replicated across the country.

Any businesses in need of sector specific guidance on how to become compliant can find more information on the SEPA website:

• The Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 were passed by the Scottish Parliament on 9 May 2012. The regulations make the following provisions:
• Businesses to present metal, plastic, glass, paper and card for separate collection from 1 January 2014.
• Food businesses (except in rural areas) which produce over 50 kg of food waste per week to present that food waste for separate collection from 1 January 2014.
• Food businesses (except in rural areas) which produce over 5 kg of food waste per week to present that food waste for separate collection from 1 January 2016.
• Local authorities to provide a minimum recycling service to householders.
• Waste contractors to provide collection and treatment services which deliver high quality recycling.
• A ban on any metal, plastic, glass, paper, card and food collected separately for recycling from going to incineration or landfill from 1 January 2014.
• All new incinerators must ensure that metals and dense plastics have been removed from residual municipal waste prior to incineration.
• A ban on biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill from 1 January 2021.

Under the new regulations a Food Business is defined as whether for profit or not, public or private, carrying out any activity relating to the processing, distribution, preparation or sale of food.

Foreign Office gains waste standard

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has become the first public organisation to be certified to the Carbon Trust Waste Standard.

A statement from the FCO this week said that the government department now diverts 97 per cent of its waste away from landfill, with almost all waste being recycled or incinerated with heat recovery.

The statement added that: !The FCO has cut the carbon emissions of its UK operations by 23 per cent between 2009/10 and 2012/13 (excluding emissions associated with FCO Services work for non-FCO customers).

More carbon and waste saving measures are planned by the FCO.

Owen Richards, the FCOs Sustainable Operations Manager said: We are delighted to be the first public organisation to have been certified to the Carbon Trust Waste Standard, as well as to the Carbon Trust Standard. We are continuously monitoring utility and travel data to spot waste or find scope for improvement. With technology constantly advancing, there will always be opportunities for the FCO to do its vital work but with a smaller environmental footprint and at lower cost.

As part of the FCOs work to build the conditions for sustainable economic growth, the FCO works closely with the Carbon Trust and other business and academic organisations to enable the global transition to a low carbon economy.