Councils should have a statutory duty to supply recyclable materials to the market in addition to their duty to collect waste from residents, according to the governments Advisory Committee on Packaging (ACP).
That is one of the main recommendations of the ACPs annual report (http://npwd.environment-agency.gov.uk/ ) published today (August 10), which looks at how best to ensure that increasing volumes of packaging material is recovered and fit for the commodities market and that packaging is sustainable.
According to the ACP, councils are currently the only part of the packaging supply chain which are not integrated into the supply and demand model for packaging, and by formally giving them this responsibility, it would reduce their disposal costs while bringing in more income from the sale of materials.
The ACP says that where industry and local government representatives have met during ACP meetings this year, there was a general consensus that this was the way forward. Local government is also represented on the ACP board, which includes experts from throughout the packaging supply chain.
The call for the statutory duty comes ahead of the adoption of higher packaging recycling targets for 2013-17, which are expected to be particularly challenging in the case of plastics.
Writing in the foreword to the report, ACP chair Bob Lisney said: In a recovery system which is fragmented at the point of collection in the domestic sector by public sector statutory roles it is easy to see that this creates a challenge in a market driven system. Thus one of our recommendations is to suggest that local councils be given a statutory role to play a role of supplier of materials to the market as well as its role to provide general services for waste and recycling.
The ACP suggested that the UK governments support and encourage councils, when letting contracts, to use the new specifications and advice developed by WRAP and Improvement and Efficiency South East (iESE).
Plastics
Over the past year the report explains that the ACP has had four working groups which have contributed advice covering: Sustainable Packaging for the supply chain; market development, legislation and plastics.
Plastics has been pinpointed for attention by the ACP because it not only faces stretching recycling targets but is also a much more diverse material than other materials used to produce packaging.
The ACP welcomes the higher plastics packaging targets confirmed in the Budget and says that there is every likelihood the targets will be met but warns that better data on plastics and progress in sorting and recycling will need to be made in order to do this.
It recommends that councils use WRAP advice to maximise the bottles captured by existing collections and that WRAP and industry representatives work with the 39 councils who still do not currently collect them at the kerbside to introduce this service.
Rigids
However, the ACP adds that the targets will not be met without the additional collection of good quality rigid plastics and describes rigid plastics collections as the next major opportunity, provided this does not lead to contamination of existing plastics streams.
It says: The Committee is aware of the need to make plans immediately to begin to collect more rigid plastics in order to meet the targets. To do so the current challenges for rigids collections needs to be given due prominence by the waste industry, council leaders and the industry so that over the next few years there will be more material recovered within schemes that ensure the optimimum levels of recovery.
Threshold
Another major recommendation in the ACP report is for the threshold at which businesses become obligated to pay towards packaging recycling under the Packaging Regulations be raised. At present, all those involved in the packaging supply chain which have an annual turnover above 2 million, or which handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year, are obligated to pay towards the costs of recycling it buy buying packaging waste recovery notes (PRNs) from reprocessors.
In line with government plans to reduce the administrative burden on businesses, as outlined in the Red Tape Challenge, the ACP suggests that only businesses with a turnover of 4 million and above or which handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year should be obligated.
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It says: Raising the threshold level to 4m would remove the 556 producers (8% of all obligated producers), with a combined obligation of 51,714 tonnes (0.74% of obligation). This would send a positive message to small businesses and also meet the governments aim to reduce the administrative burden the Regulations place on these businesses.
The ACPs recommendations in full are:
| DETAIL | FOR WHO | |
| 1 |
The ACP recommends that industry groups provide directly or via WRAP greater research based evidence on the potential impacts of the identified trends by the end of 2012 so that forecast may be derived by the spring of 2013. |
Industry |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | The ACP recommends that councils during 2012 should be asked formally to play a role as a supplier of materials to the market in addition to its obligation to provide a general public service for waste and recycling.
The ACP further recommends that Defra in their meetings with the Department of Communities and Local Government and the devolved administrations firmly support and encourage Councils to use the new contract specifications and advice developed by WRAP and IESE. |
ACP and Defra |
| 3 |
The ACP strongly recommends that councils adopt the WRAP advice during the next twelve months so that the potential of existing systems and infrastructure to collect more bottles can be fulfilled. |
Local Authorities |
| 4 |
The ACP recommends that during the next twelve months WRAP and industry representatives support those councils who currently do not collect bottles to work out the opportunities to bring on additional services for bottle collection within a deliverable timeframe. |
Wrap and Industry |
| 5 |
That guidance to householders about which plastic materials can be put out for recycling should be improved during 2012, by retailers, local authorities, waste management companies, and plastics producers working together and when developed issued by WRAP with sufficient communication support to ensure adoption. |
Industry, Local Authorities and Wrap |
| 6 |
It is recommended that in conjunction with the EA, DEFRA and the devolved administrations the ACP engage with the review of Producer Responsibility and ensure a full debate on this issue is considered with outcomes improving the ability to recycle plastic and create a level playing field in terms of costs. |
Defra |
| 7 |
The ACP recommends that the best way of reducing the regulatory burden placed on small businesses by the packaging regulations is to raise the current financial threshold level from 2m turnover to 4m with the tonnage threshold remaining the same. The taskforce recommends that this is done in conjunction with the re-introduction |
Defra |
| 8 | Now the ACP has concluded this year’s work programme, it recommends that it presents the findings in a presentation to DCLG/DEFRA ministers at a similar event organised during 2012. | Defra |
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