In the document, which has been published 18 months after the BMRA's first 'Agenda for Change' (see letsrecycle.com story), the BMRA said that a landfill tax scheme would “stimulate further research and development”.
Claiming that metals recyclers were investing “substantial” sums in technologies to support the UK's efforts to meet producer responsibility targets, it said: “A tax relief scheme to offset private investment in residue recovery would provide an incentive for recyclers to further develop this vital capacity.”
Metals recyclers have warned that more capacity to recover post-shredder material such as glass and plastics will be needed if the UK is to meet its 2015 target of recycling 95% of end-of-life vehicles (see letsrecycle.com story).
And, last year, one of the BMRA's largest members, EMR, unveiled plans to work with US plastic recycling company MBA Polymers to build a £17 million plant at Worksop in Nottinghamshire to reprocess plastics from ELVs (see letsrecycle.com story).
Priorities
Other priorities for government action which the BMRA specifies in the new 'Agenda for Change' document include:
• Support for the implementation of new European end-of-waste criteria for metals (see letsrecycle.com story), which the BMRA claims will help UK metals recyclers to become “more competitive” in the global market;
• Rejecting plans to overhaul the system of exemptions from environmental permitting, which, according to the BMRA, will both put established operators out of business and give illegal operators a “mask of legitimacy” (see letsrecycle.com story);
• Taking a “proportionate and risk-based” approach to revisions to other proposed and existing regulations, including the planned Carbon Reduction Commitment Regulations and the Industrial Emissions (IPPC) Directive;
• Specific land provision for metals recycling infrastructure in County Waste Plans and Local Plans;
• Setting aside energy-from-waste capacity for commercial waste.
Speaking at the launch of the Agenda yesterday, the president of the BMRA, Michael Wright, said: “We don't need much help from the government but we do need some,” adding that “the industry faces real challenges at this time but we still think we are a bright light in the industrial sector”.
Highlighting the contribution the metal recycling sector's £5 billion-a-year contribution to the UK's export revenue, he also said it was essential to meeting the UK's producer responsibility targets.
“We believe we can do a lot more, with the right policy and regulatory framework in place,” he added.
Minister
The launch event was attended by waste and recycling minister Dan Norris, who praised metals recyclers for their contribution to reducing the UK's carbon emissions by recovering metals that could be used in place of raw materials.
And, he labelled the industry “innovative” for its work with new technologies.
However, Mr Norris said that, while the sector was “doing these things in a way that, for the most part, has a high regard for environmental regulations”, there were still rogue operators around to “undermine the industry”.
“That's why important we strike the right balance to support you while at the same time providing regulations and enforcing them in the right manner,” he explained.
Adding that “most regulatory controls are there for a reason”, he noted that they were “the same controls that allow industry to flourish by providing certainty to investors”.
Mr Norris also said the government was “strongly supportive” of the European work on developing and end-of-waste criteria, and he also claimed that it was working to make sure metals recycling was recognised within land use planning.
And, he said: “I think we're singing from the same hymn sheet in many respects. Even if sometimes we don't agree on everything.”
Opposition
The event also heard from shadow environment minister Ann McIntosh, who spoke in favour of the metals recycling sector.
“We're committed to work with you and we hear what you say, we want to have a level playing field,” she said, adding that: “We want to maintain legitimate recycling plants that are open.”
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