Answering a written Parliamentary Question yesterday (December 15), Ms Kennedy said that, despite the Environment Agency issuing guidance to allow temporary increases of storage capacity last month (see letsrecycle.com story), there had not been a big rise in those seeking to store more.
There has been no marked increase in requests for additional temporary storage of waste. WRAP and the Environment Agency will continue to monitor the situation closely
Jane Kennedy
“There has been no marked increase in requests for additional temporary storage of waste. WRAP and the Environment Agency will continue to monitor the situation closely.” she said.
However, she confirmed that WRAP and the Environment Agency were still monitoring current levels of waste storage by local authorities and waste management firms.
Ms Kennedy also claimed that while demand and prices for some material had dropped “significantly”, resource efficiency and waste prevention was “even more important during the economic downturn” and there was a need to affirm public confidence in recycling to avoid any “unacceptable environmental consequences”.
The environment minister said: “Recovered materials are still a valuable resource and, as with other commodities, prices can rise or fall sharply. Even in the current climate, not all commodities are affected. The price paid for glass, for example, continues to remain stable. Despite weaker markets for some recovered materials, WRAP research shows there is still strong demand for many higher quality recyclable materials.
“While demand for some lower quality recycled materials (e.g. mixed plastic trays, tubs, and pots) has dropped, there is still capacity and demand for other higher quality recyclables with low levels of contamination (such as plastic bottles and glass),” she added.
Ms Kennedy's comments come after recycling companies (see letsrecycle.com story) and councils (see letsrecycle.com story) reported that they were storing material, most notably cans, as commodity prices showed only small signs of recovery (see letsrecycle.com story). However, these companies may already have adequate storage permission in place.
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