The government is keen to encourage more authorities to pool both recycling targets and resources, as a way of keeping costs down. For example, waste collection and disposal authorities can work together to develop recycling centres and develop integrated waste management strategies.
Step-change
Mr Morley said: “I would encourage all local authorities to consider pooling their recycling standards. Cooperating across boundaries will help authorities deliver a step-change in their recycling performance and make a significant contribution towards minimising the volume of household waste sent to landfill.”
In August 2002, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs invited councils to propose pooling arrangements for the 2003/04 and 2005/06 statutory targets (see letsrecycle.com story). Six groups of authorities – in Manchester, Merseyside, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire – did so for 2003/04, while four of these pooled targets for 2005/06.
Letter
The minister's comments follow a letter sent to council chief executives by DEFRA's head of recycling, Tim Judson.
A DEFRA spokesman told letsrecycle.com that the deadline for outline proposals for pooling arrangements is now October 15, and the deadline for full proposals is December 31 2003.
Each local authority has a Statutory Performance Standard for recycling household waste. In Waste Strategy 2000, the general targets for recycling and composting household waste in England were set at 25% by 2005, 30% by 2010, and 33% by 2015.
“Pooling will help authorities identify and exploit economies of scale when negotiating contracts for dealing with recyclable material,” DEFRA said. “By sharing resources and cooperating on recycling, authorities will be better able to introduce the infrastructure needed for the higher recycling rates required in the future.”
For more information on local authority pooling, visit the DEFRA website.
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