Speaking at an Environmental Services Association conference this week, Dr Caroline Jackson, MEP for South West England, also said that a lack of a strong government lead means economic opportunities from EU legislation are passing abroad.
Highly regarded in the waste and recycling arena, Dr Jackson warned that despite the presence of the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), there are unlikely to be sufficient markets for extra material being picked up for recycling as councils push for their targets..
She said: “The government has chosen to pursue very hard the idea of recycling, and has set up the Waste and Resources Action Programme to create and establish efficient markets for recycled products. All local authorities are now struggling to reach targets for recycling which almost all will almost certainly miss. It remains doubtful whether we can find sustainable markets for material collected for potential recycling.”
Speaking to an audience of international waste companies, Dr Jackson said that recyclables are already being taken “many unsustainable miles” to be reused. Because of a “landscape of squabbles and uncertainty” in government circles, business opportunities for technology and equipment are also escaping abroad, she said.
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