Waste sector calls on government to tackle “ongoing failure”

The calls came following Friday's report from Parliament's EFRA Committee highlighting the government's “lack of guidance and clarity” over the handling of new recycling regulations (see letsrecycle.com story).

Experts in the waste and recycling sector have said MPs' “understandable frustration” with the government mirrors that felt by industry. The MPs had called into question DEFRA's lack of specialist skills in waste policy.

Speaking to letsrecycle.com, Peter Jones, the external affairs director at Biffa Waste Services, said: “It was heartening to see that yet another House Select Committee acknowledging the failure of communication which is occurring between government and the waste sector.

“This is in danger of translating into substantial inflationary pressure developing in the economy as the cost of internalising pollution externalities is dumped on the public sector first and latterly onto product supply chains,” he added.

Ongoing failure
Trade body the Environmental Services Association said the report from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee pointed to the government's “ongoing failure to make a success of Britain's recycling”.

Dirk Hazell, chief executive of the ESA, said: “Again, this Select Committee has highlighted the Government’s ongoing failure even to provide clear guidance on what British business needs to do to deliver compliance with European laws signed during this Government’s term of office.”

“We draw no satisfaction from the Committee’s understandable frustration with the Government, reflecting wide-ranging evidence that 'the government lacks a proper understanding of the waste and recycling sector', and its conclusion that yet again it needs to 'question whether DEFRA possesses enough of the specialist skills it needs to deal with this sort of Directive',” he added.

Disastrous
The Green Party expressed concerns that the government delays on new legislation on end of life vehicle recycling and waste electronics would be “disastrous” for the environment.

John Barry, a green party councillor in the City of Lancaster, said: “This tardiness could lead to a repeat of the dreaded “fridge mountains”, and that would be disastrous both for the environment and for winning the hearts and minds of the public.”