The government signalled its intent to look into the possibility as part of its response to the EFRA Committee's report, The Future of Waste Management (see letsrecycle.com story). It said it would be considering material specific recycling targets for councils as part of its review of Best Value Performance Indicators later this year.
But while welcoming the extra resources being put into recycling by the government at the moment, LARAC warned against handing councils extra targets on top of the existing statutory requirements.
Andy Doran, LARAC chairman, said: “The prospect of material specific targets needs fuller explanation, as some local authorities may view it as a means of moving packaging responsibilities away from producers and onto the public sector, which is not how producer responsibility should work.”
Mr Doran added: “There is also concern that such targets may not be compatible with the current weight-based targets.”
Responding to the government, LARAC expressed dismay that “a decision on variable charging has yet again been put off, this time until 2004 when the (government) position will be 'reviewed', which indicates that a decision may not be forthcoming then”. The Committee said it was “not an outright supporter” of charging householders variable amounts depending on the amount of waste they produce, but said that “it could prove useful”.
Recycling credits
The Committee welcomed DEFRA's intention to review the recycling credits system, urging the government to consider the issue fully.
It said: “The work on reviewing the recycling credits system is an important announcement and LARAC hope the short period of review announced will still allow for full consideration of the subject, as both disposal and collection authorities are likely to have differing views on the effectiveness of the system. Initial consultation with LARAC has not surprisingly shown this to be a contentious issue.”
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