Defra has dropped plans for a producer responsibility scheme for the collection of waste agricultural plastics after consultation responses revealed strong opposition to government intervention.
Defra, along with the Welsh Assembly Government and the Scottish Government, published a summary of responses to a consultation launched in December 2009 which presented two producer responsibility scheme options – one based around on-farm collections and another around collection points – as well as a ‘do nothing option'.
The majority (68%) of respondents to the consultation, which was comprised of 41 waste collectors, farmers, producers of farm plastics and government agencies, asserted that no government intervention was needed in the sector.
And, commenting alongside the publication of the consultation responses, Defra said: “Ministers have decided that no government intervention is needed, a view supported by the majority of responses to the consultation as the scheme would cover only a small waste stream and the costs and administrative burden on businesses of any scheme could be disproportionate to the environmental benefits that would be achieved.”
Representatives of the sector had voiced concern about the original proposals ahead of the announcement to scrap the plans, pointing to the success of existing collection networks and the potential for the costs of introducing the system having to be borne by farmers themselves (see letsrecycle.com story).
These sentiments were echoed in the consultation responses, with residents stating that increased recycling rates could be achieved through better enforcement of existing regulations, encouragement of good practice among farmers and, in the case of remote collections, allowing local authorities to collect material.
Furthermore, respondents took issue with the anticipated cost of a £98,000 subsistence charge for a producer responsibility scheme, claiming: “The money for these costs will be paid upfront by plastics manufacturers and ultimately passed onto farmers.”
Development
NPAP currently account for 83,000 tonnes of waste each year in the farming sector. This material is largely contaminated with soil, making it difficult to recycle.
Development of a potential producer responsibility scheme had begun in 2005, when stakeholders backed plans for the development of a scheme, but it was hamstrung by delays before eventually being launched for consultation in December 2009.
The scheme was also intended to help offer an outlet for the disposal of NPAP in the wake of the Agricultural Waste Regulations 2006, which made it illegal to bury or burn waste. Before this came into effect, Defra claims 80% of plastic waste was either burned or buried on farms.
The system was intended to work on the same basic principles as the producer responsibility schemes used for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and batteries.
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