WASTE REVIEW: SME use could keep HWRCs open

Proposals in the Waste Review to encourage councils to make household waste recycling centres available to businesses could help keep open sites under threat of closure, the government has claimed.

In the Review document, Defra says that making household waste and recycling centres (HWRCs) and other facilities such as bring banks available to smaller businesses has a key role to play in making it easier for them to access waste and recycling services at an affordable cost.

But, it claims the move could also have a subsidiary benefit for councils and therefore their residents in areas where budgetary pressures could otherwise force sites to close.

Defra says it will provide guidance through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to tackle practical issues around this such as adapting HWRCs for business use and making sure charging systems are fair.

The proposals are one of a number of ways that the Review seeks to address what Defra sees as the barriers to improving business waste management, something the document says is a critical part of the move towards a zero waste economy.

In particular, Defra highlights the Reviews confirmation of the abolition of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) from 2013, which it says will remove a barrier perceived or otherwise to local authorities supplying trade waste and recycling services.

And it outlines a range of other actions to address the issue, including:
Developing a Business Waste and Recycling Collection Commitment to be published this summer, councils will be encouraged to sign up to principles setting out how they can help businesses to meet their waste responsibilities and recycle more;
Creating a voluntary responsibility deal with the waste management industry to cover issues such as raising SME take up of recycling services, improving data on commercial and industrial (C&I) waste and raising awareness of waste prevention and sustainable waste management. Defra says it has been working with the ESA, FSB, LG Group and EA on this agreement, which will also promote quality to tie in with the new MRF Code of Practice;
Working through WRAP to encourage the take up of initiatives such as pilot trade waste bring banks launched in Bristol and on Merseyside in March 2010 (see letsrecycle.com story);

Voluntary responsibility deals

Elsewhere, the review outlines details of further work on voluntary responsibility deals including that for the waste management sector detailed above – which it claims can deliver better environmental outcomes without the introduction of regulation.

The other sectors where responsibility deals are being explored are:
The hospitality sector – which is described by Defra as a large and complex sector. The Department says the voluntary responsibility deal for this sector will focus on food and packaging waste, and as such will cover areas such as prevention, packaging recycling and sending food waste to AD or composting;
Paper the Review says any future agreement would focused on reducing waste production and on life cycle impacts of manufacturing and use of paper products;
Direct mail The department says it has been working with the direct marketing industry to identify how to reduce waste by developing an easy to use opt out process, which it says will combine with better targeting techniques to reduce the amount of unwanted direct mail and, as a result, the amount of waste;
Textiles Under the Sustainable Clothing Roadmap, working groups will look at voluntary actions relating to design, metrics, purchasing behaviours and collection, reuse and recycling;
Construction Waste Under the banner of the Halving Waste to Landfill Commitment, there will be a greater focus on waste reduction;
Packaging As well as the Courtauld Commitment second phase, Defra is setting up a working group on toy packaging, similar to that in place for Easter eggs. It will also look at any further action on single-use carrier bags and responsibility deals for metal and plastic packaging.

Waste prevention

The Review also outlines the role that businesses will have in its work on waste prevention, which is underpinned by the Waste Prevention Plan that it is expected to develop by 2013 as a requirement of the EU revised Waste Framework Directive.

In light of this, Defra proposes to create a Waste Prevention Fund which will support businesses, social enterprises and councils in undertaking waste prevention activities. It also plans to help expand the number of SME waste minimisation networks and develop case studies and pilot schemes for service-based business models such as leasing.

There is also a commitment to explore how waste prevention can be worked into product design and best practice product standards, as well as identifying barriers to reuse.

Work on reuse will also, the Review says, explore making reuse collection facilities available at civic amenity sites, support business development to increase reuse activity and find out how to encourage people to keep products for longer.