In its response to the Strategy Unit's report, the government said that DEFRA's waste divisions would be restructured to include the new delivery team and director in order to successfully implement the activities of the new Sustainable Waste Delivery Programme.
The Steering Committee will provide “senior-level leadership and strategic advice on the new sustainable waste delivery programme.” It will be a “hybrid group” with a core of three members, plus another six or seven wider members.
Through the Committee, WRAP will aim to promote home composting, re-useable nappies, supermarket waste minimisation and an innovation fund to develop new approaches to waste minimisation.
The Steering Committee, which will work closely with DEFRA's policy team, will be headed by a Programme Director. The Director, who has not yet been named, has been recently appointed following an external recruitment and has “a strong track record in project and programme management,” the government said.
Task forces
WRAP will also set up a kerbside task force, The Recycling and Organics Technical Advisory Team (ROTATE) to work with local authorities to maximise the potential of kerbside collections. It will support this with an education and awareness programme to run nationally and locally.
Another task force with a local authority support “Nerve Centre” will be set up to help implement central government waste policy at a local level, the government's response to the Strategy Unit report revealed today.
The Nerve Centre will offer local authorities “targeted assistance underpinned by clear communications” designed to help them carry out their recycling strategies. A team of regional advisors will offer face-to-face advice to authorities and a pool of specialists will also be available on specific issues.
The government said there would also be a funding team responsible for the implementation of a number of programmes that will deliver additional central government funding to local authorities to help develop infrastructure necessary to meet targets.
Programme
The new Sustainable Waste Delivery Programme was announced during the 2003 Budget. In responding to the recommendations of November 2002's Strategy Unit, the government has fleshed out its proposals for the programme.
The new Programme's aims are to:
- Seek to help households reduce the amount of waste they produce
- Increase access to doorstep collection of materials for recycling
- Promote the development of new and viable waste management technologies
- Provide local authorities with the support hey need to deliver best practice
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