In a letter sent to Defra minister Owen Paterson, the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT) claims that the governments waste and recycling data is out of date and urgently needs reviewing if the country is to meet 2020 Landfill Directive targets.
It said that the government was using old household waste trends to inform key waste policy and investment decisions, which could leave the country unable to avoid potentially crippling landfill fines in the future.
Under the Landfill Directive, the UK must reduce biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) landfilled to 50% of the 1995 level by 2013, and to 35% of the 1995 level by 2020.
Steve Kent, President of ADEPT and the strategic advisor at Cheshire West and Chester council, said that alarm bells should be ringing in Whitehall as recent data showed a gap in the amount of waste treatment capacity coming on stream and that recycling rates were flattening.
He said: In our view, the government is relying on trends in household waste that have been recorded during the most difficult economic conditions since the war. But there is now growing evidence that those trends are simply a medium term adjustment and that as the country starts to return to growth and as our population continues to increase, the UK will simply be ill prepared to manage its waste properly.
Mr Kent said he was not convinced that Defra had given the latest household waste trends proper consideration in a situation where it was already not certain that 2020 requirements would be met.
‘we are calling on the government to review the situation urgently to provide re-assurance that the UK can meet its European Landfill Directive targets in seven years time’
Steve Kent, ADEPT president
He said: That is why we are calling on the government to review the situation urgently to provide re-assurance that the UK can meet its European Landfill Directive targets in seven years time.
Waste infrastructure credits
ADEPT also criticised the government in the letter for its decision to withdraw millions of pounds worth of waste infrastructure credits from residual waste projects in Merseyside, Bradford and Yorkshire (see letsrecycle.com story).
The group said the short sighted decision would damage the confidence of investors in the waste sector and impact on the UKs waste policy objectives.
Mr Kent said: Of the remaining 29 waste infrastructure projects supported by Defra there are risks associated with delivery of the 16 plants that are not yet fully operational. Even if this capacity is delivered there should be plans for additional facilities to achieve further, more challenging targets beyond 2020, bearing in mind the EU review of the waste framework directive (which may lead to the introduction of new targets) and the vision set out in the Government Waste Policy Review of a zero waste economy.
The letter also points to an underlying reduction in recycling rates and says there are dangers in assuming that recycling is set to continue to increase at the rates experienced in recent years.
Mr Kent said: The latest statistics cast doubt on whether a 50% recycling and composting rate is achievable across all local authorities in England when the reduction in funding available to local authorities may lead to waste re-use, reduction and recycling schemes being delayed or cancelled.
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