Defra under fire over Waste Prevention paper

Recycling industry organisations have called for a more hands-on approach from the government after a first reading of Defras Waste Prevention Programme consultation paper.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) launched a consultation on its Waste Prevention Programme yesterday (August 6), which the government is required to publish by January 2014 under the revised EU Waste Framework Directive (see letsrecycle.com story).

The consultation suggests that simple measures to produce less waste could save UK businesses 17 billion and advocates long-term investment in reducing waste with an emphasis on design and production techniques.

However, much of the waste and recycling industry has reacted negatively to the consultation document – with both the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) and the Resource Association describing it as a missed opportunity – although the Environmental Services Association (ESA) said all was “still to play for”.

Chief executive of CIWM, Steve Lee, said the plan fails on two fundamental levels by not focusing more on circular economies and also by not including concrete objectives or enough data to measure genuine prevention.

Commenting on the plan, Mr Lee said: Early discussions on this plan explored ambitious concepts including the role of green taxation, product policy and standards, Producer Responsibility, and resource security. It is therefore disappointing to see that these important issues and mechanisms, that could go some way to delivering the objectives of Article 1 of the Waste Framework Directive have been left by the wayside.

He added that the waste sector was under no illusion with regards to the complexity of delivering waste prevention but that more responsibility had to come from government, which has not grasped the scale and urgency of this challenge.

Mr Lee said: Ultimately, the consultation focuses primarily on roles and responsibilities and our initial answer to the questions posed is that the proposed role for government appears to be to stand on the sidelines while forward thinking businesses take the initiative and local authorities and third sector organisations struggle with more ambition than resources. This is not the vision we had hoped for and CIWM will be making this point strongly in its response.

Resource Association

Ray Georgeson, chief executive of the Resource Association, said he shared CIWMs concerns and called for a clear plan for data collection and a set of measurable objectives.
He said: It was clear from early in the process that a broader, more ambitious and holistic approach to waste prevention as a necessary part of a resource efficient, circular economy was not shared by ministers. As a result, any consideration of how green fiscal measures, improved producer responsibility and product standards might contribute to waste prevention was quickly sidelined.

He added that recycling rates were starting to flatline and that the governments bare minimum approach to compliance with the Directive and to waste targets sent all the wrong signals to those willing to invest in what is an industry for the future.

ESA

The Environmental Services Association (ESA), meanwhile, was more optimistic, stating that all is still to play for as Defra had only published a consultation document rather than a draft plan.

Roy Hathaway, ESA policy advisor, also said that Defra was right to say that waste prevention actions are not solely or mainly for government, as everyone in society should be contributing to cutting back waste.

But, he added that the governments role remains very important and that the current Defra document doesnt follow through on the identification of key sectors and waste materials to specify the actions that are needed to prevent waste in those sectors and materials.

He also raised concerns that the government was making huge cuts in WRAPs budget and repealing the regulations requiring site waste management plans for the construction sector.

Mr Hathaway said: Defra will need to up its game considerably to turn this consultation paper into a credible waste prevention programme for England by December.

Furniture Re-use Network

The Furniture Re-use Network (FRN), a national organisation which supports more than 300 re-use charities in the UK, said the governments waste prevention consultation document gave the re-use sector little hope and was devoid of any policy let alone any sight of a programme of activity that might deliver change and encourage more reuse and waste prevention.

FRN chief executive Craig Anderson also called on the government to take more responsibility for waste prevention and said he would be making a full and robust response to the consultation.

He said: We already know what we do and what we need to do to increase reuse; what we need is a concerted effort by the government to set targets and requirements on the waste sector to pull the reusable products out of the their waste streams and send them for reuse.

He added: Standing on the outside of the circular economy espousing subjective and unqualified recommendations on paper is not welcome and will not only be disappointing but, will be detrimental to the future impacts of reuse and waste prevention activity in England and the rest of the UK.

The Waste Prevention Programme consultation runs until September 23 2013 and will inform the final Programme which is due to be published later this year.