Government not over-focussed on household waste

Mrs Ruddock has hit back against the report's conclusion that not enough is being done to tackle the issue of business waste reduction.

“It's quite wrong to suggest that the Government is over-focussed on individuals when it comes to waste,” she said.

The report, which was published yesterday (August 20) by the Lords' Science and Technology committee, called on Government to shift its focus from household waste to the “far greater problem” of industrial and commercial waste (see letsrecycle.com story).

Mrs Ruddock outlined the efforts that Government had made to deal with business waste, explaining that “the Landfill Tax escalator specifically targets business and commerce as high waste producers.

“We have a big programme of engagement with business and have invested over £650 million in the last three years to establish best practice and help organisations and the public adopt less wasteful behaviour,” she added.

However, she warned that any support for business waste reduction would not come in the form of long-term financial backing.

She said: “Our focus now is to provide the evidence business needs to drive change and realise the financial benefits this brings, but we are not in the business of long term subsidy.”

CRR

Mrs Ruddock's criticism of the report's conclusions was not shared by the Centre for Remanufacturing and Reuse (CRR), part of Aylesbury-based resource management consultancy Oakdene Hollins, who regularly undertake Defra-funded research.

And, the report's call for Government to provide more funding for councils to help them promote business waste was backed yesterday by the Local Government Association.

The CRR said it was “delighted” by the report's findings, explaining that “whilst the increase in domestic recycling rates is welcome, the emphasis on this 'low hanging fruit' has for too long diverted attention from greater opportunities in commerce and industry”.

CRR's Nick Morley, who contributed evidence to the committee's inquiry, said: “We fully support the conclusions of the report.

“Numerous companies now demonstrate exactly the kind of holistic strategy for resource efficiency recommended by the committee – and many are now reaping real environmental and economic benefits,” he added.

The report's calls for wider individual producer responsibility and changes to the VAT regime to reward sustainable manufacturing were also welcomed by the CRR.

The CRR's head of remanufacturing, David Parker, described the report's recommendations as “pragmatic, feasible and timely”.

He added: “We hope the Government responds favourably to this report by promoting repair, reuse and remanufacture within both the public and private sectors.”

CIWM

CIWM chief executive Steve Lee also praised the publication, describing it as “a good report”, but he added “there aren't many shocks in there”.

The Government has known for some time and they are putting their thoughts to how they're going to address 100% of waste,” he told letsrecycle.com.

He explained: “At a very high level, it tells Defra and BERR what they already knew but it re-raises the issue and that has to be a good thing”

“What it doesn't do is come up with many hard-edged proposals for what Defra and BERR should do, he added.”