The first part of the Regulations currently bans raw meat and fish wastes from retailers and manufacturers going to landfill. From December 31 this year, the final part of the ban will be implemented preventing cooked meat and fish products from retailers and manufacturers – known as 'f;ormer foodstuffs' – going to landfill.
Defra has contacted animal by-product producers after the EC put forward a proposal for flexibility in former foodstuffs this week.
In the past few weeks rumours about a possible delay to the ban or a phasing in of the rules on former foodstuffs have circulated around the waste and food industries.
Today (May 27) the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contacted interested parties to reveal that: “On Tuesday, the Commission put forward a proposal for some degree of flexibility in former foodstuffs.”
Meeting
Defra met with various industry groups including the Composting Association, LARAC and the Local Government Association today and discussed ABP.
When the ABP Regulations were implemented in 2003, Defra negotiated a delay on behalf of the retail sector. Food retailers believed that sufficient collection infrastructure for alternatives to landfill for their food waste was not available.
There is still a feeling within the food industry that appropriate infrastructure is not available, even though the rendering sector has claimed it is able to deal with the estimated 500,000 tonnes of food waste and packaging retailers generate each year.
James McKechnie, recycling manager for Sainsbury's told letsrecycle.com: “We currently use some rendering plants for our food waste but we would like to see a greater range of accessible facilities. We would like to see more composting and anaerobic digestion options get going.”
Trials
He added that Sainsbury's had had some successful trials with Greenfinch anaerobic digestion equipment in Shropshire and was hoping to start some more trials with a composting company for ABP waste soon.
Giving the point of view of the waste sector, Environmental Services Association's director of policy, Mike Walker, said: “ESA continues to prepare for on the basis of implementation in December.
“Regulation drives investment in infrastructure and it is essential that when government makes plans it sticks to them,” he added.
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