And, the ESA said that it hoped Mrs Spelman would help the country deliver new waste treatment infrastructure, while the CIWM identified a raft of measures it hoped that the new government – and new environment secretary – would take into account.
A spokesman for the ESA told letsrecycle.com: “ESA welcomes the appointments of Caroline Spelman MP as the new environment secretary and Chris Huhne MP at energy and climate change. ESA looks forward to working closely with Ms Spelman to enable the industry to deliver the new infrastructure that the UK needs to meet its renewable energy and recycling ambitions.”
The trade body, which represents over 200 members of the waste management and recycling sector, was also particularly receptive to the appointment of Mr Huhne to the role of secretary of state for energy and climate change.
The spokesman said: “Mr Huhne has been a strong supporter of a sustainable waste management sector in the past and ESA hopes that the new administration will recognise the strong potential role for energy from waste to meet the UK's energy policy goals.”
CIWM
Steve Lee, chief executive of the CIWM, said: “The CIWM welcomes the new UK government and the opportunity to continue working with all the relevant government departments to deliver a more sustainable future.
“In particular, we welcome Caroline Spelman MP to the role of secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, and we look forward to seeing more detailed plans on the new government's environmental policies in due course.”
Mr Lee added that waste and resource management had a “key role to play” in helping tackle climate change and identified a number of key points that the trade body would like the minister to focus on.
These include:
• meaningful investment support for new and greener technologies;
• clear, strategic objectives that marry together energy, material resources, low carbon and climate change imperatives;
• an efficient and effective planning system capable of delivering critical infrastructure, both in the immediate and the longer term;
• clear, longer term strategies on key behaviour change drivers, including economic instruments and incentives.
• adequately funded enforcement and a greater commitment to combating environmental crime; and
• a commitment to exploring and exploiting the role of energy recovery from all residual waste streams, including but not exclusive to anaerobic digestion (AD), which is only appropriate for some organic wastes.
Mr Lee said: “This sector has reached a critical point in its development, making a challenging transition from ‘waste' to ‘resource' management, and defining its role within the wider debate about energy, sustainable consumption and production, and climate change.”
Concern
If we are going to take things forward in the area of waste, we are going to have to plan to develop our relationships and partnerships with the private sector
Andrew Craig, principal policy officer, LARAC
Despite the general positivity over Mrs Spelman's appointment, one industry representative, who wished to remain anonymous, voiced concern to letsrecycle.com about the cabinet roles for Mrs Spelman and Eric Pickles, who was named secretary for communities and local government.
Citing the pair's vocal criticism of the Waste & Resources Action Programme and attacks on alternate weekly collections and financial recycling incentives, the source said: “Having both [Caroline] Spelman and [Eric] Pickles could be difficult for the sector.”
LARAC
Commenting on the impact that the coalition government could have on the waste sector, Andrew Craig, principal policy officer at the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC), told letsrecycle.com that councils would need to prepare for “deep and rapid cuts” in public expenditure.
He said: “From a local authority point-of-view, I think because funding will be cut I think it is quite obvious that, if we are going to take things forward in the area of waste, we are going to have to plan to develop our relationships and partnerships with the private sector for investment and development.”
Elsewhere in the recycling sector, there was support given to the formation of the coalition government by members of the plastics recycling industry, with it suggested that the Conservative/Liberal Democrat alliance will be beneficial to small businesses and environmental issues.
Chris Dow, managing director of London-based Closed Loop Recycling, said: “I think the coalition is a good thing for green businesses like ours but of course that depends on what they actually manage to deliver.
“As a UK recycling company, we would hope for continued green investment and more support for our fledgling industry in the way of regulation reform, which would further stimulate the industry.”
Echoing Mr Dow's comments, Omer Kutluoglu, chief executive of Luton-based plastics recycling firm 2K Manufacturing, said: “This is great news for entrepreneurial SME businesses like ours. The combination of the Tories' focus on commerce with the even-handed approach of the Liberals has the potential to ensure that commerce is once again supported, and that this support is not just confined to Big Business plc.”
Mr Kutluoglu added that he was “delighted” by the appointment of Vince Cable to the role of secretary of state for business, claiming that the appointment of the Liberal Democrat would help get the “banks back on track” (see letsrecycle.com story).
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