Speaking at the CIWM's annual drinks reception at the Houses of Parliament, Mr Aston said: “It seems to me only a matter of time until we have charging schemes in the UK.”
Mr Aston told assembled MPs, waste industry experts and governmental representatives that the industry needed to capture the public imagination in order to turn common goodwill towards the environment into personal actions.
He said the promotion of Zero Waste in Europe was a good example of how to run a successful campaign. “We should take inspiration from the people marketing this – it conveys the three 'R's to the public in a simple way, but it does not eliminate or exclude waste to energy,” he said.
But, Mr Aston said the public's general awareness of waste and confidence in waste services needed to improve. He stressed that recycling campaigns and new policies must be followed up by evidence of their success. “When new schemes are introduced in local authorities, cynics need to be informed very quickly that they do make a difference,” he said.
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