There is a real risk that these proposals will put valuable recyclers out of business and further hamper the UK's ability to compete in the global metal recycling market
Lindsay Millington, BMRA
Waste and recycling minister, Jane Kennedy, revealed the potential impact of proposals contained in Defra and the Environment Agency's review of exemptions when replying to a parliamentary question earlier this month. The Minister indicated that over 600 sites would need to move to new permits, but did not give an estimation of the costs to business (see letsrecycle.com story).
Commenting on the latest revelation, Lindsay Millington, director general of the British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA) said: “We have repeatedly advised Defra and the Environment Agency that these exemption proposals will put an additional squeeze on small-scale recyclers who already have to cope with an unreasonable administrative burden imposed by legislation and regulation.
“We have still not seen any evidence of environmental risk to support the proposals. But Defra and the Agency continue to pursue an option that will increase operating costs, require new competence certificates and increase uncertainty by requiring new planning consents to be obtained. There is a real risk that these proposals will put valuable recyclers out of business and further hamper the UK's ability to compete in the global metal recycling market. This is highly inappropriate, especially given today's economic climate.”
She added: “We urge Defra and the Environment Agency to abandon their proposals to end paragraph 45 exemptions. We have written to the minister to seek an urgent meeting with industry representatives.”
The review of the exemption system was published for consultation in July 2008 (see letsrecycle.com story) and proposes that the recovery of scrap metal and the dismantling of depolluted waste motor vehicles should no longer be covered by an exemption, and would instead require a full environmental permit.
The BMRA first raised its objections to the exemptions review in late 2008, when the organisation claimed that the amendment to the exemption, which is known as 'Paragraph 45', would place additional burdens on business and discourage small scrap metal yards from operating.
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