Recycle North Beyond Recycling

1
Recycle NorthBeyond Recycling

• The Importance of Municipal Waste Prevention in
  Policy and Plans
• Daniel Instone

2
Overview of Presentation

• Waste Strategy key messages and update
• Local Government White Paper
• Implications for municipal waste prevention 

3
Review of Englands Waste Strategy
4
Progress made

• Much less of our industrial and commercial waste
  is being landfilled
• Recycling and composting of household waste has
  doubled in the last five years
• Greater amounts of packaging material are being
  recovered and recycled
• Significant improvements made in the recycling
  and re-use of construction and demolition waste
• Progress has been made in developing new and
  stronger markets for recycled materials
• Better information and advice to households and
  businesses

5
Progress made (cont.)

• Significant improvements are being made to our
  knowledge base including new research and data
  strategies
• New policy instruments
• The landfill tax escalator and BREW
• The aggregate levy
• LATS
• New regulation to implement EU Directives (e.g.
  ELV)
• PPS10
• New Institutional arrangements
• WRAP
• WIP

6
Vision and Policy Outcomes

• Objective for Waste Policy in Securing the Future
  
• Protection of human health and the environment by
  producing less waste and by using it as a
  resource wherever possible.
• Through more sustainable waste management
  reduction, re-use, recycling, composting and
  using waste as a source of energy the
  Government aims to break the link between
  economic growth and the environmental impact of
  waste.

7
Vision and Policy Outcomes
8
Challenges
Municipal Solid Waste Arisings Source Defras
Local Authority Waste Recycling Recovery and
Disposal Model output
9
(No Transcript)
10
(No Transcript)
11
Recovering Resources
 

Commercial and Industrial Waste
12
Challenges
Commercial and industrial waste arising (kt/y)
Source Defras Commercial and Industrial Model
output
13
Challenges
Biodegradable municipal waste landfilled Source
Defras Local Authority Waste Recycling Recovery
and Disposal Model output
14
Key Themes

• waste prevention in the wider Sustainable
  Consumption and
  Production (SCP) agenda
• waste as a resource and extending a recycling and
  re-use culture
• the non municipal sectors
• investment in the treatment of waste in each part
  of the chain.

15
Waste as a resource
16
Policy Framework
Enable

• Remove barriers
• Give information
• Provide facilities
• Provide viable alternatives
• Educate/ train/ provide skills
• Provide capacity

Approach evolves as attitudes behaviours change
over time
Catalyse - is the package enough to break a
habit and kick start change?
Engage
Encourage

• Community action
• Co-production
• Deliberative fora
• Personal contacts/ enthusiasts
• Media campaigns/ opinion formers
• Use Networks

• Through tax system
• Expenditure - grants
• Reward schemes
• Recognition/ social pressure league tables
• Penalties/ fines enforcement action

Exemplify

• Leading by example
• Achieving consistencies in policies

17
Policy Framework

• simplifying the regulatory system
• extending producer responsibility looking for
  voluntary agreements Key sectors include food
  and construction
• keeping the pricing framework under review
• continuing support from public expenditure
• information, advice and awareness raising
• Government to lead by example on own waste and
  procurement
• improve the evidence base

18
Overall Targets - Changes
2010
2015
2020
WS 2000
WS 2000
PROPOSED
PROPOSED
PROPOSED
Household waste recycling and recovery
rates Source Defras Local Authority Waste
Recycling Recovery and Disposal Model output
19
Waste Prevention
New raw materials and energy

• prioritising products where waste impacts need to
  be tackled.
• extending product stewardship by producers and
  retailers and reducing waste impacts through
  eco-design

20
Waste Prevention
New raw materials and energy
Production
Consumption

• promoting re-use, re-manufacture
• advising the public on environmental impacts of
  products
• Engaging businesses, inc. SMEs, to encourage
  resource efficiency

21
SEA - Conclusions

• Waste hierarchy a sound environmental guide to
  inform policy.
• All scenarios assessed offered significant
  overall environmental benefit compared to
  business as usual.
• Waste prevention and recycling offer greatest
  benefits, eg carbon savings of over 6 mt about
  3 of total UK emissions.

22
Roles and Responsibilities

• a Sustainable Waste Programme Board
• regional roles
• a wider strategic role for local authorities

23
What consultees have said on waste prevention

• Must give it top weight
• Closely linked to re-use
• Need to distinguish different materials more
  (e.g. food, metals, wood, textiles, plastics)
• LAs have a clear role (already in many current
  municipal strategies)
• Clear role for businesses, especially retailers
• Importance of procurement policies
• LAs should influence other local players
• Link to sustainable production and consumption

24
Other measures proposed

• Landfill tax escalator (pre-budget report
  announcement of further consideration)
• Powers for LAs to introduce variable charging
• Simplification of waste regulation
• Stronger sectoral agreements to reduce/recycle
  waste

25
Strong and Prosperous Communities

• The Local Government White Paper

26
White paper offer

• A stronger role for local authorities to lead
  their communities, shape their areas and bring
  local public services together
• More space for local authorities and other local
  service providers to innovate and respond to
  local needs
• Stronger focus on top priorities
• In exchange for
• More bottom-up accountability
• Stronger local authority leadership
• Better and more efficient services
• Tougher intervention when things go wrong

27
Fundamentally rebalance the central-local
relationship - Single set of national outcome
indicators (agreed through CSR) - Small number
of targets agreed with each area (35) -
Reformed, more-risk-based and better targeted
inspection regime

• More accountable and responsive services at local
  level
• Enhanced right to be heard Community Call for
  Action and encourage petitions
• Promoting community ownership and management of
  assets
• Involving and consulting service users and
  providing better information
• Stronger role for LAs as place-shapers / local
  leaders
• Local authorities to develop Local Area
  Agreements in partnership with other agencies
  can also have multi-area agreements
• New role for LSPs and thematic partnerships
• Place duty on named partners to co-operate in
  agreeing LAA targets and to have regard to
  meeting them
• Presumption that all area-based funding will go
  thro LAAs

28
How might this affect waste (including waste
prevention)?

• Indicators?
• Local area agreements (bringing in local partners
  and bringing 2 tiers together)?
• Thematic partnerships on waste?
• Multi-area (sub-regional) agreements?
• Scope for more local innovation / initiative?
• Encouraging strategic approach?
• Reinforces existing good practice?

29
LAs as local leaders?

• Clear potential for LAs to take leadership role
  in encouraging waste prevention among other local
  players, using available instruments

30
Waste strategy

• Being linked with broader Defra strategic reviews
• Aim to publish in spring

31
Further milestones

• Waste strategy
• Lyons inquiry final report
• Budget
• CSR 07
• Waste framework directive negotiations
• Against background of increased media/public
  interest