The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs told letsrecycle.com this week that the responses will be issued “in due course” and that the policies would be introduced in a “phased manner”.
The update comes as local authorities and the waste management sector have expressed concerns about what they see as a delay to implementing waste and recycling ambitions under the Resources and Waste Strategy for England (see letsrecycle.com story)
Last week Environment Secretary George Eustice spoke of a delay saying that extended producer responsibility and the DRS “are going in the right direction.. but are large and complex policies”. He continued: “I am always willing to take a bit longer to get there and stage things in a sensible way so we don’t have a good policy with the right intention that comes unstuck because we have tried to rush it.” (see letsrecycle.com story)
Conservative Party
The Defra responses are core to how councils, contractors, retailers and other groups will deliver and operate the Deposit Return Scheme and Consistency programme. The responses had been expected to have been published before the end of the Parliamentary term on Wednesday. However, with the governing Conservative Party in the process of choosing a new leader and prime minister, publication of the DRS and Consistency proposals are now not expected until the autumn.
There has been ongoing strong lobbying by brand owners and associations such as the Food and Drink Federation over the costs of the Consistency Regime which will see brands having to pay virtually 100% of the recycling costs for packaging collected from households.
Treasury
While some consider that concerns around the cost of living crisis might be a factor in the delay, it is understood that the Treasury continues to take the stance that as packaging recycling will be a cost removed from local authorities, accordingly it is justifiable as a policy. And, the Treasury is also aware of public concern over issues such as plastics in the sea and that DRS could see more bottles collected for recycling.
While the political situation is a factor in the publication delay, the delay is also allowing Defra officials to refine and work further on the detail of the Consistency and DRS packages which have a number of complexities.
Detailed proposals
On the progress of the two response documents, a Defra spokesperson told letsrecycle.com: “We recently consulted on detailed proposals on how a Deposit Return Scheme could operate, including the scope of the scheme, size of qualifying containers and how large a deposit would be needed, as well as on Consistent Recycling Collections in England. We confirmed earlier this year our schemes will be introduced in a phased manner, and will publish our full response to the consultations in due course.”
Food waste
Comments around resources and waste also came this week in the latest Defra annual report on its 25 Year Environment Plan published four years ago. This latest report contains a reminder that funding for food waste collections is coming. The annual report sees Defra saying: “We confirmed at the Spending Review funding for local authorities to implement free, separate food waste collections in every local authority from 2025. This supports our commitment to explore options for the near elimination of biodegradable municipal waste to landfill from 2028.”
Consistent Collections
Defra has explained that to drive up recycling levels, with a target of 65% recycling of municipal waste by 2035, under the proposals in England, a core set of materials must be collected from every household and business in England, specifically: plastic, paper & card, metal, and food waste.
DRS
On DRS the Department has restated that it is “committed to introducing a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers to boost recycling and clamp down on plastic pollution and litter.” And, Defra is also keen to seen plastic bottles which are “incinerated” go instead for recycling. It considers that the DRS could mean that up to three billion bottles which are currently sent to energy from waste, landfilled or dropped as litter will be recycled.
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