The confirmation of a looming announcement on consistency is likely to be welcomed by local authorities, many of whom are in a state of flux in terms of planning future service delivery.
However, news that an announcement will come soon is also likely to be met with some scepticism because of ongoing delays to the announcement. When it comes it will be as a formal government response to the consultation held by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the consistency proposals.
Speaking in a House of Commons debate yesterday on plastic pollution in the ocean, brought by Conservative MP for North Devon, Selaine Saxby, Mrs Pow spoke of a range of government measures to tackle plastic pollution as well as to improve the environment.
She listed the actions and said: “The third element is our consistent collection, so that we collect the same products from our local authorities. That will help us to get good-quality recyclates, and it will help the whole system to work effectively. We are pressing on with that and will shortly announce the results of our consultation. I will also slip in at this point that we will also announce our consultation on the ban of wet wipes shortly.”
Policy areas
Consistent collections tie in with two other key policy areas: the introduction of a deposit return scheme (DRS); and a revised extended producer responsibility scheme for packaging which will see the end of the PRN system and its replacement with direct funding by producer to local authorities for collection of packaging.
Topics included under the consistency plans have included:
- All households to be able to recycle the same core set of materials
- Fewer collection and sorting systems
- Better labelling of products
- Food waste collections from households
- Free garden waste collections – (proposed but generally opposed by local authorities)
Consistency
Information about the concept of consistent collections and related topics is available from recycling charity WRAP.
The image below shows the thinking behind the consistency proposals.
DRS in Scotland
The parliamentary debate on plastics also also saw discussion of Scotland’s determination to launch its DRS scheme ahead of the rest of the UK.
In the debate on plastic pollution in the ocean Ms Saxby said that “while the deposit return scheme systems that are being looked at across the UK are vital, is it not better—as we are talking about international efforts—that we all work together to ensure that the scheme runs across the whole country, rather than having different schemes in different parts of our own islands, making it more complex for everyone involved?”
For the Scottish Nationalist Party, Patricia Gibson, MP for North Ayrshire, said: “I absolutely agree with the hon. Lady, but the point is that we cannot all move at the speed of the slowest caravan. We have to be bold and ambitious in what we seek our deposit returns scheme to achieve. What she proposes would be a better way forward, but the UK Government are slower and less ambitious. That is a pity, but we cannot be held back by that.”
If you’d like more clarity on how to deliver the strategy post-consultation release, then make sure to attend the National Letsrecycle Conference & Dinner on 8th June, for a comprehensive evaluation of the waste management situation in England. Find out more and secure your place here: National Letsrecycle Conference & Dinner 2023
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