The government's decision to keep packaging recycling targets broadly the same for two years will lead to a “sharp” reduction in recycling, according to one packaging producer compliance scheme.
Edward Cooke, director of Staffordshire-based Compliance Link, claims that last week's decision to only raise targets for plastics and steel (see letsrecycle.com story) meant that councils would cut recycling services. While local authorities do not benefit directly from revenue from the packaging producer responsibility system, they indirectly benefit through the sale of packaging recycling evidence, known as PRNs, by reprocessors and exporters.
He said: “It is now obvious that mixing blue and yellow does not produce the UK's greenest government. The action of not raising packaging waste targets for two years will lead to a sharp reduction in UK recycling.
“We have not learnt from 2003. Local authorities, already facing savage cuts, will be forced to abandon the very recycling projects that should help earn them considerable income and create hundreds of thousands of jobs.”
“Unambitious”
Further criticism was voiced by the Environment Exchange (t2e) PRN trading platform, which labelled the new targets as “unambitious”.
Angus Macpherson, managing director of t2e, pointed out that many small reprocessors and exporters were now expected to drop out of the PRN market as the low value of the PRN did not justify the administrative costs.
He said “With an ongoing waste review the Government's decision on targets is not surprising, nevertheless the outlook for accredited reprocessors and exporters is not encouraging.
“Although the reported pick up in the economy should increase the obligation next year, it is unlikely to replace the 500,000 tonnes lost since 2008.
“Meanwhile many small reprocessors and exporters may be anticipated to drop out of the market as PRN rewards fail to offset the administrative costs.”
Mr Macpherson added that he hoped the removal of the independent audit, announced alongside the targets, would not result in a growth in fraud and that the Agencies effectively policed the system to ensure that PRNs equated to packaging recovered.
He concluded: “Looking forward the sooner targets post-2012 are announced the better for all involved.”
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