Zero Waste Scotland and the Scottish Environmental Services Association are due to launch a voluntary commitment for the waste sector this week, which is intended to help businesses prepare for Scotlands new waste regulations.
Iain Gulland, director of Zero Waste Scotland, will launch the Resource Management Sector Commitment alongside Robin Stevenson, managing director of the non-hazardous division of Scottish waste management firm William Tracey, at the annual general meeting of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management in Forres on Friday (April 19).
The commitment will seek to improve the relationship between waste management firms and waste producers and is being launched ahead of the adoption of the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 – which come into effect in January 2014 – in order to ensure that businesses are ready for the regulatory changes.
The Scottish Government is thought to be keen to involve the waste sector in promoting the new regulations, as they will have greater scope to reach businesses to ensure they are compliant with the new laws.
Among the provisions of the new regulations businesses will be required separate metals, plastic, glass, paper for collection, while food businesses in non-rural areas producing more than 5kg of food waste per week will be required to present the material for separate collection from 2016.
In addition, the new legislation will require waste contractors to provide collection and treatment services which deliver high quality recycling.
Detail
The resource sector commitment is loosely based upon the Responsibility Deal between the government and the waste sector in England, launched by Defras then recycling minister Lord Henley and the Environmental Services Association in June 2011 (see letsrecycle.com story). However, it is understood that the Scottish commitment will provide greater detail about how waste management firms can help businesses than the Responsibility Deal.
It is intended to set out the requirements from waste management companies including promoting the waste hierarchy and providing greater emphasis on waste prevention to waste producers, and to improve collections of recyclable materials from small and medium businesses.
Companies including Biffa, Shanks, Veolia Environmental Services and William Tracey have already signed up to the responsibility deal in England.
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Meanwhile, Glasgow-based William Tracey has this week called for businesses to prepare for the new regulations, which it says will fundamentally change waste management practises in Scotland. Speaking to letsrecycle.com Mr Stevenson said that businesses needed to prepare early for the changes in order to ensure that they are compliant (see letsrecycle.com story).
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