Waste groups reach out to Gove over resource strategy

Organisations including ADBA, CIWM, REA and ESA have signed up to the letter urging the recently appointed Secretary of State to set out a long term policy framework for waste and resource management.

The letter calls on government to “build on the foundations previously laid by the European Union waste and resource legislation.

TAG also called for the government to take ‘urgent action’ to reverse the decline in recycling rates, to prevent food waste, and to increase demand for secondary raw materials.

Waste crime

Thirdly, TAG asks policy makers to tackle escalating levels of waste crime, which it said costs the UK economy ‘over £600 million a year’, blights local communities and the environment, and undermines legitimate businesses.

In regards to this, the group urges the government to implement the measures put forward in the ESA-led report Rethinking Waste Crime.

The report, which was published last month (2 May), outlines a series of recommendations for policy makers to improve efforts to tackle waste crime. (see letsrecycle.com story)

“We believe that improvements in resource efficiency – the way in which materials, energy, and water are used in the UK economy – should be a central theme in the Government’s industrial and environmental policies and strategies,”

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Resource and waste management TAG

The 14 recommendations put forward in the report include applying bans to serious and repeat offenders to make it more difficult for waste criminals to re-enter the sector; imposing landfill tax on illegal waste sites; and, increasing enforcement activities by regulatory bodies.

Policies

TAG said: “We believe that improvements in resource efficiency – the way in which materials, energy, and water are used in the UK economy – should be a central theme in the Government’s industrial and environmental policies and strategies, notably the 25 Year Environmental Plan, the UK Industrial Strategy, and the National Infrastructure Assessment.”

In the letter TAG also requested an early meeting with Mr Gove to discuss the future direction of policy in this ‘important area’.

The letter was sent on behalf of the Anaerobic Digestion & Bioresources Association, Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, Environmental Services Association, ICE Resource Management Expert Panel, Renewable Energy Association and Wood Recyclers Association.