‘Culture of delay’ sees FCC relaunch waste report

The report was first launched in 2021 (see letsrecycle.com story), where the waste management company warned that the three years building up to the next general election in 2024 will be “turbulent and taxing” for the waste management sector.

The updated report, published last month and launched today (14 December), warns that “significant” delays to consultation responses – almost three years for consistent collections – have been “exacerbated by unclear or absent guidance”.

FCC further outlined that many measures aimed at making the UK a global leader in environmental reform have “suffered from lethargic government action and what would appear to be a subsequent lack of desire to get it done before the next election”.

Uncertainty

Commenting on the report, FCC Environment’s chief executive, Steve Longdon said: “The last few years have seen uncertainty and crisis stemming from both national and international factors. This updated Politics of Waste report examines how far we’ve come, and how much further we need to go.

“Decarbonising is a matter of choice, adapting to climate change is a necessity. Regardless of whoever is in government after the election, we hope we will see a renewed vigour on environmental policy and a drive towards a circular economy.”

Election

The report also outlines that whenever the election is due for next year, the environment will be a key issue.

FCC explained that it feels the Conservatives will take a more cautious approach, as they have with net zero, urging restraint so it does not impact public finances. Labour will “champion it as an economic driver and job creator as part of a new industrial revolution”, FCC added.

In terms of the impact of a Labour government FCC in the report that while resources and waste were probably never going to be a headline issue for Labour as it seeks to position itself as a “Government in waiting”, recent months have provided insight into its thinking.

“At its Party Conference in Liverpool, both Shadow Environment Secretary, Steve Reed and Shadow Waste Minister, Ruth Jones, demonstrated positivity about making progress – with Steve Reed stating that “if [the Resources and Waste Strategy] is an easy win, let’s have it”, and indicating that Labour will look at progress made on recycling in Wales to guide its policy.

The report says: “Acknowledging the potential that adoption of circular economy business models has to boost the UK economy by around £75 million in gross value added, Ruth Jones said that getting this in place is a priority for the next Labour Government. Crucially, the two key Labour spokespeople for the sector are both genuinely interested in our issues, with Steve Reed having previously been leader of a local authority in London.”

Opportunities

While FCC said the next 12 months will feature “significant political uncertainty”, the sector will need to try to influence what comes next – whenever and whatever that might be.

FCC said elections provide opportunities to raise a sector’s profile with future parliamentarians: candidates will want to know about what’s going on in their potential constituencies.

Waste crime

On waste crime, the report outlines that the overarching sentiment is that, while Defra may propose further financial penalties and regulatory measures, “this is still insufficient to ensure there is a well-funded and efficient regulator with the power to appropriately tackle the issue”.

The company said the sector must carry on lobbying for better regulation and calling for more resources to ensure effective enforcement.