MPs on Wednesday debated and passed the government’s proposed amendments to the regulations which see a 56% overall recovery target for next year and a new 460 flat fee to cover Environment Agency costs for companies obligated under the regulations.
Proposing the amendments, junior environment minister Chris Mullin explained how the target had been set and that it would allow for a 1% margin of error to ensure that the UK recovered – which includes recycling – 50% of obligated packaging waste, estimated at 4.7 million tonnes in 2001.
Mr Mullin told MPs that the new target was needed because the build-up to the regulation had in hindsight seen targets set too low.
For the Conservatives, Damian Green, shadow environment minister, said that the 460 flat fee “removes a significant market-base element from the system”. However, confirming that there is often confusion about the whole packaging waste system, Mr Green was himself confused over the fee, believing it applied to reprocessors when in fact applied to compliance scheme members.
The committee passed the amendments. See also: letsrecycle November 22.
Meanwhile, a range of issues still face all those involved in the chain.
Debate continues about reprocessing capacity for plastics. The industry faces the toughest challenge of all next year. With 65% of plastics in the household waste stream, still not enough is being recovered.
Huge efforts are being made by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions to increase the amount of kerbside recycling. The Department takes the view that “the same waste meets two targets”, meaning that packaging waste from households can be used by councils to meet their targets and to meet packaging waste targets.
Arguments over who owns recyclables placed in banks on supermarket car parks are seen as relatively futile, in that councils can simply use the figures for the materials for their own purposes and retailers can use the material in conjunction with a compliance scheme.
Because of this, strong signals are being sent to compliance schemes and councils about the mutual benefits of working together.
Some doubt remain outside the department about whether the figures for this year will turn out as planned. With reprocessors likely to resist issuing PRNs for material delivered this month so that the PRNs can be issued for next year at a higher value, figures for 2000 could end at a lower level than anticipated as more than 1 million tonnes of material will have to be recovered in the last quarter of the year.
Pressure on PRNs is also expected especially for paper and wood where about 500,000 tonnes of paper imports have not been properly recorded and are now included in the figures, and similarly about 330,000 tonnes of additional obligated wood packaging will be included.
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