Addressing delegates to the third ESTET National Consensus Conference in London, the Secretary of State said she is resolved to face the challenge of better resource use in the aftermath of the Earth Summit.
“The challenge is to accelerate the shift towards production and consumption that is within the carrying capacity of ecosystems. The focus will be on decoupling the strong links between economic growth and resource use.”
Waste, said Mrs Beckett, is posing significant challenges in that the amount produced is growing too fast and remains linked with GDP.
She highlighted a number of challenges including the plain fact that “we are recycling too little. Our rates, though improving, are low in comparison to the EU average.”
She told her audience that the UK “faces several challenges under the Landfill Directive to reduce and control the landfill of waste. We have a legal obligation to reduce the landfill of biodegradable municipal waste and we have targets for industrial and commercial waste.”
The Environment Secretary also pointed to a strengthening of producer responsibility in the UK. “We need to look forward to various directives including those on End of Life Vehicles and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment – these will help strengthen our development of producer responsibility in the UK.”
Innovation and efficiency
Her audience at the ESTET event, which is run by the ESTET training and research body linked to the Environmental Services Association, also heard that the “way forward for UK waste management” is through partnerships. Said Mrs Beckett: “Positive changes in the UK waste management industry will require (central and local), regulators and the waste industry working together. It will require innovation, high standards and efficiency.
“There are opportunities to be had in waste: new technologies (whether it be recycling, composting or energy-from-waste) could play a crucial role in meeting our targets. To become competitive and internationally acclaimed, the UK waste industry will need to work innovatively with other stakeholders. We need the industry to work closely with government and local authorities to find the best solutions, and with regulators to ensure that high standards are maintained.”
Hazardous
Mrs Beckett also announced the creation of a Hazardous Waste Forum to advise on the way forward for hazardous waste and on possible targets for its reduction which was welcomed by
Dirk Hazell, chief executive of the Environmental Services Association.
Direct charging
Mr Hazell told the conference that a MORI survey had found that waste is the most valued local authority service. He went on to offer a “personal view” on the best way of raising the money local authorities and ESA's members need to deliver the service and meet future targets. He advocated direct charging of householders as the most cost-effective way “if its structured so as to enable ESA's members to benefit from the favourable credit rating of the public sector and if credit risk can be managed cost-effectively.”
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