Following the influx of funding from DEFRA's 140 million recycling fund, it had been feared equipment manufacturers would not be able to meet the demand for equipment needed for all the new kerbside collection services proposed by local authorities.
While the industry has said it is coping with the current local authority demand, there concerns in government that equipment manufacturers may not be able to fulfil the future needs of DEFRA's Sustainable Waste Delivery Programme.
A government spokesman confirmed: “DEFRA officials have had a number of informal meetings with a number of the lead manufacturers and suppliers of recycling containers, wheeled bins and vehicles. The meetings were held in order for DEFRA to gain a greater understanding of the current market situation.”
Darin Tudor, chairman of public relations, marketing and exhibitions at the Containers Handling and Equipment Manufacturers association (CHEM) said: “We were encouraged that DEFRA released these funds specifically for recycling, it was a fantastic idea, a real shot in the arm for councils. However, the government went about it in a way not conducive to industry. There were some concerns that the money was released all in one go, there was very little time given for councils to spend the money, and the industry had a very tough time providing the required equipment.”
Future
Mr Tudor told letsrecycle.com that industry has just about coped with the demands of the 140m fund.
He said: “We have coped with the present situation, but from a supply and demand point of view the real issue now is what happens in the future. We have held meetings with DEFRA and have given them frank views on what can be done. We need to be led by robust and printed material; we need to know how much money is coming from DEFRA and how it is to be issued so that any problems can be avoided in future.”
There have been reports of local authorities forced to postpone recycling schemes because they have been unable to secure orders for wheeled bins or boxes needed. Reports in the local newspapers in Sunderland stated that the city council there had run out of wheeled bins, saying that council officers had advised residents to place waste out on the streets without them.
Delays
But a Sunderland city council spokesman said that although it was true that there had been some delays in getting hold of their wheeled bins, the local newspaper reports appeared to have originated with a single resident who had not yet been given his bin.
“The supply is back on,” the spokesman said. “There was a delay, but there isn't a shortage as far as we know. Normally when a report of this kind appears in a newspaper, you would expect a number of other complaints of a similar nature from other residents, but as far as we know there was only the one.”
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