Speaking at his packaging waste compliance scheme's awards ceremony, Mr Gummer said: “The system should allow each country to have their own approach. Needs are different from one country to another and we can't let this flexible system become more rigid.”
Mr Gummer, who as a Conservative preceded Michael Meacher as Environment Minister and was instrumental in shaping the regulations, said that the danger would be that if the UK failed to hit targets a more rigid system could be imposed.
“The only answer from the European Union is to have a more rigorously imposed system.”
He told his audience that as far as the UK was concerned Valpak “are the people most likely to meet the obligations.”
And he highlighted the organisation's role in giving advice to government.
Looking ahead, Mr Gummer said that it was important to make sure that new targets being proposed in Europe could have a profound effect on the way Valpak runs its business. The chairman was referring to proposals for higher material recycling rates and the possible ending of a recovery (energy from waste) option for packaging from 2006.
Earlier at the evening event, which was held at London's Madame Tussauds, Valpak director John Turner had praised the role of the Valpak team. And, while he assured members that Valpak through its work in the supply chain will ensure it met the targets and covered its 2.6 million tonnes of obligation, he was not so sure that other schemes would all succeed.
Winners of the Valpak awards were:
Member award for efficiency and cost-effective work with long term sustainability: BPI Recycled Products for its peat bags.
Reprocessor award for the best use of PRN revenue, awarded to four categories:-
- Best programme to increase the flow of reprocessed material – Rexam Glass which had recovered 6,000 extra tonnes of glass with 2,000 tonnes being used in roadmaking.
- Best programme to increase capacity: Synbra Polymers
- For developing end markets for new materials, such as wooden potato boxes, Plastic Reclamation
- Best use of PRN revenue, Rockware Glass for a new plant and an education centre.
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