Charged green waste collection won&#39t count for two materials

The restriction emerged in draft guidance from Defra published earlier in the week on the Act that received Royal Assent in November 2003 (see letsrecycle.com legislation page). The Act requires all English waste collection authorities (WCAs) to provide a separate collection of at least two recyclable materials to all households by 2010.

During the development of the Act concerns were expressed that it would encourage local authorities to provide green waste collections instead of promoting home composting. Now the draft guidance says: “The municipal collection of home-produced compost cannot count as a material under the Act. However, composting as a means of recycling, especially if it is carried out at home, should be encouraged.”

It adds: “If a WCA collects garden waste it will only count as a type of recyclable waste under this Act if the WCA does not charge for its collection.”

Food waste collections will count however, as well as free collections of food and garden waste. The draft guidance also appears to discourage councils from collecting textiles and shoes, saying that councils should consult local charity shops before introducing such a collection.

Other more materials rarely collected at the kerbside can also be counted including mobile phones, oil, car batteries, domestic batteries and paints in addition to the more traditional materials such as paper, cardboard, plastics and metals.

Kerbside

The guidance specifies that the two materials must be collected separately at the kerbside and not separated later from residual waste. “The use of material recycling (or reclamation) facilities (MRFs) to separate unsorted household waste is not an acceptable alternative to the separate collection of recyclables,” the draft guidance said.

There are some exemptions for councils to have to provide a complete coverage including cost considerations and where comparable alternative recycling services are available.

The draft guidance says that councils looking for an extension to the December 2010 deadline would have to apply at least six months beforehand.

Defra is now consulting on the draft guidelines and those wishing to submit responses have until October 31, 2004. Details of the consultation can be found on Defra's website .