Firstly I would like to congratulate Lord Henley on his appointment as the under secretary of state with responsibility for waste management and recycling. Being recycling minister is certainly a challenging role that spans a vast range of process and regulations. It is also gives Lord Henley a real opportunity to make a difference.
With a new person in post, I think now is the time to introduce much-needed changes to the metals recycling industry
Ian Hetherington, director general, British Metals Recycling Association
With a new person in post, I think now is the time to introduce much-needed changes to the metals recycling industry. To get things started, a review of the regulations surrounding recycling – and specifically metal recycling – should be carried out.
As part of this, it would be a good idea for Lord Henley to take up the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee's recommendation to review recycling and waste management regulation for metals.
Operations
The majority of metals recycling operations are relatively low-risk, with any hazardous materials and substances being removed early in the process. Examples of this include the de-pollution of end-of-life vehicles and the removal of ozone depleting substances from refrigeration equipment.
Although sites carrying out this work are mostly subject to bespoke environmental permits, they also have to report on hazardous waste as the responsible producer. As a result of this, each has a different reporting structure and reporting dates vary widely. To me, this is crying out to be rationalised to reduce the costs of both of regulation and compliance.
If the introduction of self-assessment was rapidly developed in-line with online reporting and robust auditing, both industry and government could see real benefits, with administration costs cut and duplication of effort between multiple government agencies reduced.
Defra, BIS and the Environment Agency could then focus resources on clamping down on the non-compliant or illegal operators that blight our industry.
Exemptions
It would also be advantageous if Lord Henley reversed the previous Government's 2010 decision to remove ‘paragraph 45' exemptions for smaller low-risk metal recycling sites. The resulting one-size-fits-all permitting regime could force a number of businesses and local collection sites to close, thereby reducing the capacity of the metals recycling industry and creating more opportunity for illegal operators.
The £3 billion metals recycling industry is a keystone of the recycling sector and I hope Lord Henley will see fit to commission the regulatory review that is so desperately needed.
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