New measures include a substantial role for the Waste and Resources Action Programme – giving the market development agency new responsibilities and 14.5 million extra funding in 2003-04.
Variable charging trials are still to be agreed – the government has delayed its decision and will carry out yet more research. And, a new delivery team will be created in DEFRA.
The government's response to the Strategy Unit's Waste Not Want Not recommendations includes more details on a new Waste Management Performance Fund and the spending of Landfill Tax money following the demise of the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme.
Performance Reward Fund
Funding will continue to be available to local authorities through a successor to the 140m National Waste Minimisation and Recycling fund which will be replaced at some point in the future by a performance reward grant. Decisions about the timing of the transition will be taken within the Ministerial Group for waste, expected by November 2003. Funding will continue at its current level, the government said, 90m each year for 2004-05 and 2005-06.
The new fund will be non-ringfenced, which could see it acting more as a reward for local authorities with high or improving recycling rates rather than to be specifically spent on waste management.
Landfill Tax
The government has allocated 84m/92m/92m (100m/110m/110m in the whole of the UK) from the Landfill Tax in the years 2003-04/2004-05/2005-06 to sustainable waste management.
Details of the spending are yet to be decided, but some minimum budgets have been announced for the first year (2003-04), totalling just over 28 million:
- At least 1.9 million will go to a support infrastructure for local authorities, including assistance in reaching targets, tracking of council performances and a “Nerve Centre” to improve communications between local and central government.
- At least 3.5 million will go towards improving knowledge and overcoming barriers to new waste technologies, including research and development funding and a Waste Technology Data Centre run by the Environment Agency.
- At least 8.5 million will be spent on a data and research programme, including the formation of an Information Advisory Group, to improve policy decisions at a national and local level.
- At least 14.5 million will go to WRAP for a kerbside Best Practice programme establishing a Recycling and Organics Technical Advisory Team and more work on composting market development. WRAP will also coordinate a waste minimisation programme – including a 6.6 million home composting campaign – and a waste awareness programme building on the success of the Rethink Rubbish campaign at a national level and providing more localised support.
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