The current policy of the government is neither desirable nor sustainable
Nick Herbert MP
Mr Herbert was speaking yesterday (July 20) at the launch of a report published by Conservative think-tank Policy Exchange, which called for a radical overhaul of the UK waste system, including an end to two-tier collection and disposal authorities and the introduction of standardised collection systems for waste and recycling.
In his speech, Mr Herbert accused Defra of a “failure to lead” in terms of responding to the introduction of the Landfill Directive, and claimed that, as a result, the UK was in danger of missing the 2013 Landfill Directive target of reducing waste to landfill to 50% of 1995 levels.
He also claimed this had led to “the UK missing out on the chance of capitalise on the development of new waste technologies,” which, he argued, meant the UK had “also missed out on the jobs and markets that could have come from a more ambitious commitment to modern waste disposal methods”.
Labelling the government's approach to waste “fundamentally misguided”, he outlined a range of policies which, he claimed, would “realise the potential value of resources rather than thinking in terms of how they can be disposed of in the cheapest way possible”.
Key aspects of Mr Herbert's “framework for action” included:
• Confirmation of a £72 floor on landfill tax from 2013 until 2020, which he claimed would give businesses certainty and send a “strong message” to companies that they could invest in waste disposal “with confidence”
• The reform of the landfill tax into a wider disposal tax, to reflect the waste hierarchy outlined in the revised Waste Framework Directive. The Policy Exchange report recommends an incineration tax be introduced, and Mr Herbert asked: “How can we also ensure that materials which should be recycled do not end up being used to generate electricity?”
• The development of a measure to gauge the total environmental impact of various waste treatment and collection methods – taking into account issues such as material lifespan and the toxicity of waste as well as its carbon impact. Mr Herbert warned that, without a measure, “we risk making random and wrong policy choices”.
• A focus on commercial and industrial waste, with Mr Herbert claiming that there was a need to “consider carefully” whether municipal waste and commercial & industrial waste should be dealt with together, or if a market-based approach would be more effective.
• A emphasis on “local buy-in”, with local authorities retaining the power to decide whether to pursue waste infrastructure projects, and no need for “radically altering” councils' role in waste management. Mr Herbert added that the Conservatives were “naturally drawn to” voluntary councils partnerships on waste, such as Project Integra in Hampshire.
• A focus on incentivising the “right behaviour” by householders, businesses and local authorities: Mr Herbert called for an emphasis on voluntary agreements instead of regulation to reduce waste, and cited the Courtauld Commitment between retailers as proof that this could work. He also cited the Recyclebank scheme launched in Windsor and Maidenhead last month (see letsrecycle.com story ) as an example of successfully incentivising recycling. And, he called for households to potentially benefit from discounted electricity bills when the power is produced using energy from waste.
• A “real determination” in government to “do better”: Mr Herbert claimed that the waste Strategy 2007 target for 75% of waste to recovered via recycling or energy from waste by 2020 was “not a zero waste policy. It is a zero ambition policy.” He added: “We need a higher aspiration – to eliminate landfill altogether, expect perhaps for inert, non-recyclable waste.”
Policy Exchange
While many of Mr Herbert's comments yesterday echoed recommendations made in the Policy Exchange report – entitled 'A waste opportunity: getting the most out of Britain's bins' – the think-tank's study also recommends a range of other policy changes to bring about a “radical overhaul” of the UK's waste management system.
These include the abolition of the system of two-tier local authority waste collection, to be replaced by single-tier waste authorities, which Policy Exchange claims means that, “by simplifying local governance of waste in many areas, clear incentive structures can efficiently bind in the key actors in the waste system: households, local government and the waste industry”.
It also recommends the end of tonnage-based recycling targets for councils, including the abolition of waste-related performance indicators.
And, it calls for waste charges to be itemised on council tax bills, to pave the way for direct and variable charging for waste services, with an emphasis on incentivising collection.
Meanwhile, in terms of collections, it champions a move towards standardisation, with just five or six systems being used nationwide to reduce current levels of “frustration and confusion”, and a limit on three bins for waste and recycling being issued per household – one for food waste, one for dry recyclables and one for residual waste, albeit without a need for separate food waste collections in high occupation areas.
In terms of energy from waste, despite its calls for incineration to be included within a wider disposal tax, the document calls for the recovery of energy from waste – and in particular anaerobic digestion and Energy-from-Waste with Combined Heat and Power – to become a “central pillar” of government energy policy by reducing emissions, increasing energy security and providing “sustainable, cheap and low carbon” electricity and heat.
The editor of the report, and head of the Policy Exchange's Ben Caldecott, said: “The simple truth is that if we don't make the way we recycle radically more efficient, as well as really cutting back on what we put into landfill, the cost for waste charges are going to keep going up – hitting the people when their Council Tax bill lands on the doormat.
“If we reform the system, we can get more out of our bins whilst cutting household waste bills by up to 50% and reducing the hassle people experience from having too many bins and overly complicated collections.
“The government's pay-as-you-throw schemes and alternate weekly collections haven't improve Britain's waste system, and the attempt to impose them as created a public backlash as they are perceived as stealth bin taxes,” he added.
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