The UK Independence Party wants to free local authorities to do what they are best at. It is impossible with the layers of bureaucracy and directives from Europe
Nigel Farage MEP, UKIP
In a party broadcast last night (May 14), UKIP MEP for South East England, Nigel Farage, said that a “mass” of European legislation governing waste meant that councils were no longer in control of their policies.
Mr Farage blamed the Landfill Directive for imposing strict targets to divert waste from landfill by 2020 – which UKIP claims has lead to a rise in the Landfill Tax and in turn, to council tax. He also blamed the directive for an increase in fortnightly waste collections and chips in bins, which he said had been introduced in preparation for councils charging for waste services.
The broadcast incorrectly claimed that the Landfill Tax would continue to rise “substantially” to between £150 and £200 a tonne by 2010 [The actual figure is £48/t for 2010/11].
As a result, UKIP urged voters to “say no” to the European Union by voting for them in June, which, Mr Farage claimed, would liberate councils to “do what they were elected to do”. UKIP currently has nine members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
Mr Farage said: “The UK Independence Party wants to free local authorities to do what they are best at. It is impossible with the layers of bureaucracy and directives from Europe.”
Mr Farage explained that UKIP wanted to trade with Europe, but not be “taken over” by them – claiming that over 75% of UK laws were made in Europe.
He said: “There is a mass of European laws yet no-one wants to talk about, including Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.”
Green Party
While UKIP blamed the Landfill Directive for suffocating councils, a very different approach has been taken by the Green Party in its European election manifesto.
In the document, the party says that the Directive has forced a “reluctant revolution” of the UK's “outdated waste management system” and blamesthe UK's relatively poor recycling performance compared to the rest of Europe on the fact that councils had been “forced by government to deal with waste on the cheap”.
The manifesto said: “We would double expenditure on municipal waste management, spending an extra £4 billion to encourage re-use and repair, increase recycling and digestion and reduce landfill and incineration, thus cutting greenhouse gas emissions. This could create 80,000 new jobs.”
The Greens said that they wanted to eliminated incineration altogether and encourage resource efficiency – and that they had already helped to drive the ambitious recycling and reuse agenda in the revision of the Waste Framework Directive.
The manifesto said: “Our goal is the elimination of incineration altogether – there are better ways to use valuable resources such as paper than burning it – and moving towards a zero waste society.”
FSB
The issue of waste and recycling has not been directly addressed by the three main political parties – Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrat – in the run up to the election – with their environmental policies all focusing on emissions and broader environmental issues.
However, a manifesto has been produced by the Federation of Small Businesses which highlights its priorities with regards to recycling.
The document urges MEPS to introduce a consistent approach to the definition of waste throughout the EU and ensure that national and local authorities provide the necessary structures to support small businesses to comply with environmental legislation.
The manifesto said: “The failure of the EU to agree common definitions for waste makes it extremely difficult for firms who need to obtain waste management licences and register exemptions. It's also a major barrier to growth in the recycling industry.”
Elections
In the European elections, the UK needs to elect 72 MEPs. The number has been reduced from 78 due to the enlargement of the EU, with Bulgaria and Romania now included.
The UK is divided into 12 electoral regions, with between three and 10 MEPS each. Posts are held for five years.
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