The update was provided by Linda Crichton, the department’s team leader for packaging producer responsibility on day one of the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) Conference.
Ms Crichton was updating attendees on progress which Defra has been making on waste reforms, in particular extended producer responsibility and consistency/simpler recycling, as well as the deposit return scheme.
She explained that Defra is “now very much moving into the “delivery phase” and praised the response from councils, explaining that “it is essential that we do continue to work with and across the value chain to make sure that these outcomes we want to see achieved are achieved”.
Funding
Early on in the discussion, Ms Crichton looked to ease any concerns about new burden funding for separate food waste collections, a requirement under consistent recycling.
She explained that there are three elements that new burdens funding will cover: The capital transition costs (such as bins and vehicles), the resource or revenue costs associated with transitioning to food waste collection services and the “ongoing resource costs”.
“We are now very much moving into delivery planning and delivery”.- Linda Crichton, Defra
Ms Crichton said: “We announced some time ago that £295 million of capital funding will be allocated to support the transition to food waste collections. And a formula for that and how that money will be allocated to local authorities is being developed for the release of that funding.
“We have been engaging with local authority representative organisations on the principles that will be used to develop that funding and we have secured some funding for the resource costs, but we are currently estimating what the combined total resource costs will be to support the introduction of food waste collections.”
She outlined that some of that money has been secured already by Defra, but the remainder “will have to be subject to further Defra bids into future government spending reviews.
It has also been agreed that the funding will be provided to local authorities through section 31 grants.
She concluded on this topic: “So, it’s still our intention that we will provide further information to local authorities on all the new burden grants, including when funding is likely to be received and how that funding will be distributed, in due course. So, as soon as we get the simpler recycling government response out, we can start having these more open dialogues with you on the next steps.”
Delivery
Ms Crichton concluded her update by asking the audience to “stick with” the department as it moves into delivery phase.
She said while progress “is not as fast as some might like”, it is moving forward.
“We are now very much moving into delivery planning and delivery. They are a complex set of reforms and we’ve been really grateful for all the support and input that stakeholders across the value chain have provided us with.
“It is essential that we do continue to work with and across the value chain to make sure that these outcomes we want to see achieved are achieved. And I think really this is not the time for people to go back into silos. We have got to keep working together and some of the engagement activity that we’ve been holding over the last six months or so in particular has been really encouraging in that respect.”
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