Defra has approved plans to spend the funding provided by the BREW initiative – Business Resource Efficiency and Waste – which is using Landfill Tax revenue to reduce the waste burden on businesses.
” This is not about subsidising loss-making collection schemes.“
– Ivan Good, CIWM (EB)
The new plastics initiative will develop a collection and recovery network to potentially help 137,000 farms in England cope with new waste regulations that come into force in early 2006.
The regulations essentially bring the agricultural sector in line with other industries in terms of environmental controls, and will ban unlicensed burning and burying of waste on farms.
The plastics recovery initiative has been developed by the Agricultural Waste Stakeholders Forum, and will be delivered by the environmental body of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management.
Packaging
Although plastic packaging is covered by the UK producer responsibility legislation, the low-cost compliance system in this country means limited amounts of farm plastics have been collected for recycling so far. The new farm plastics programme will collect both packaging – thought to be about 21,000 tonnes each year – and the 65,000 tonnes of non-packaging agricultural plastic waste arising on English farms.
Project manager Ivan Good said: “I should emphasise that this is not about subsidising loss-making collection schemes. The funding will be used to identify best practice through the commissioning of pilot projects and demonstration activities that aim to maximise the tonnage collected and minimise logistical costs.
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“At the same time, the programme will consider the infrastructure requirements and data systems needed to finance and manage farm plastics collection and recovery under a producer responsibility regime,” Mr Good said.
Consultancies and other organisations wishing to take part in the programme have been given until the end of November to submit bids.
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