UK sleepwalking towards treatment shortfall

Waste industry representatives have joined council waste chiefs in warning the government that the UK is in danger of sleepwalking into a waste infrastructure shortfall and calling for an urgent review of the UKs ability to meet its landfill diversion targets.

In an open letter, published jointly by the Environmental Services Association (ESA), Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT) and Local Government Technical Advisers Group (TAG), the groups have reiterated concerns that data which does not reflect current waste trends was used by the government to justify withdrawing infrastructure credits from a number of projects.

The call follows a letter sent to the Environment Secretary Owen Paterson last month by ADEPT, which represents local authority waste department heads. ADEPT criticised the government for the funding decision, claiming that it is likely to leave the country unable to avoid potentially crippling landfill fines in the future (see letsrecycle.com story).

Concerns

Residual waste projects in Merseyside, Bradford and Yorkshire were affected by the decision.

Responding to the concerns, Defra has said that it remains confident; that the 202 landfill reduction targets will be met, asserting that its analysis of data is accurate, and that the UK is continuing to reduce landfill rates (see letsrecycle.com story).

However, in the statement published yesterday (August 7) the industry bodies claimed that a potential shortfall in the amount of waste treatment capacity coming on stream in the next few years indicate that the decision to withdraw funding is short sighted in relation to waste policy objectives.

The group said: 2020, when the UK has to meet strict targets on the amount of rubbish it sends to landfill, is no longer on the distant horizon, and like all major infrastructure projects, waste schemes take years to come to fruition and cannot be brought on stream at a moments notice.

The groups added that although no formal response has been issued by Defra, statements from the Department indicate that there is little appetite for a review. They argued that rather than dismissing warnings from organisations at the sharp end of implementing government policies, ministers should recognise the governments commitment to long term funding for infrastructure.

The letter stated: How we deal with waste affects every single one of us as householders, businesses and taxpayers. That is why we are so publicly repeating our warnings. Once again we call on the government to confirm its commitment now, to the existing infrastructure programme, and review the situation urgently to provide assurance and evidence that the UK will be properly equipped to meet its European Landfill Directive targets in seven years time.