Presentation
Minutes:
A presentation was given to the Committee on local, national and local authority waste-related stories that have been in the media.
It was noted that a report to the Local Government Association (LGA)’s economy and environment board has highlighted that the additional sorting of mixed paper that would be needed to reduce contamination levels for export to China would cost one unnamed council an extra £500,000 a year and another has stated that current low paper prices would see it lose £3million a year.
Paper, card and plastic make up 46% of dry mixed recycling collected by local authorities. However, since China’s restrictions took effect earlier this year, the average price of mixed paper has fallen from £93 to £10 per tonne. However, around half of the 407,000 tonnes of recovered paper exported in January 2018 went to new markets in India, Vietnam and Indonesia with the remainder sent to China.
The LGA has indicated recycling the material in the UK instead would be problematic as there was little robust evidence on the capacity of the UK recycling industry to recycle more material collected from households.
The sheer number of plastics used in packaging makes it difficult for councils to sort for recycling impacting on council’s negotiating new waste collection and disposal contracts as supplier are unwilling to take 100% of the risk and therefore it would be likely to be split with councils.
MEPs in the European Parliament have recently backed ambitious and binding recycling targets set out in the EU’s revised Circular Economy Package meaning that member states will be required to recycle 55% of municipal waste collected by 2025. This will rise to 60% by 2030 and 65% by 2035.
The new package was agreed by the European Council in December after Defra previously indicated it supported the Council in agreeing the revised proposals and targets. This means that the targets will be adopted by the UK through the EU Withdrawal Bill as part of Brexit arrangements.
Defra has recently announced that David Rutley MP has been temporarily appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary for State whilst Theresa Coffey recovers from a period of illness. The role will be unpaid and will be in addition to Mr Rutley’s existing post as government whip. Mr Rutley is a former senior executive at Asda and worked as special advisor to the treasury, cabinet officer and ministry of agriculture in the last conservative government.
At the end of May, SUEZ launched its manifesto for resource productivity called “A vision for England’s long-term resources and waste strategy” which it believes forms the basis of a comprehensive strategy that could see £9 billion added to the UK economy. The manifesto champions a move away from a throw-away society to a circular economy advocating that materials consumed should be viewed as precious resources that can be re-captured, re-used and recycled and suggests the UK government has a golden opportunity to kick start a resource revolution when we leave the EU.
The strategy also includes the findings of a poll around public perceptions of litter, with one in four Britons thinking that sandwich packaging or fast food containers are the main cause of litter and 18% believing it to be crisp packets or confectionary items and 14% thinking plastic bottles are to blame.
At the launch of the London Environment Strategy, Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London has announced that London waste authorities will be set minimum recycling standards to meet by 20220, including a requirement for separate waste collections.
Currently 41 % of the seven million tonnes of waste produced in the capital is recycled but by 2026 Mr Khan wants no biodegradable or recyclable waste sent to landfill and 65% of waste to be recycled which would put London well ahead of the circular economy target timeline.
The Strategy indicates that this would cut the waste stream by 20% and save £42 million from London’s waste disposal bill. However, the Strategy also acknowledges that there are some formidable barriers to overcome eg the 33 waste authorities currently provide different waste and recycling collection services. Hwever, it was noted that the London Borough of Barnet, in spite of the Strategy’s requirements, has just announced plans to abandon food waste recycling. Instead it is proposed that residents dispose of their food waste in the existing residual waste bins where it will be used for energy recovery at an EfW.
In May the Treasury’s call for evidence on using the tax system or charges to address single-use plastic waste closed. The consultation sought views on a range of potential tax options or chargeable actions to reduce single -use plastic including the potential development of an incineration tax, where waste companies would pay a tax on every tonne of plastic they incinerated. Responses to the consultation are still being analysed.
The European Commission is proposing new EU-wide rules to target the ten single-use plastic products most often found on Europe’s beaches, which, together with lost and abandoned fishing gear, make up 70% of all marine litter items. A range of products are planned to be banned from the market, including plastic cotton buds; cutlery; plates; straws; drink stirrers and sticks for balloons. These items can all be easily replaced by readily available and affordable alternatives. Where materials do not have straightforward alternatives the focus will be on limiting their use through national reductions in consumption; design and labelling requirements; and waste management clean-up obligations for producers.
The UK Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has launched the UK Plastic Pact which aims to make “unnecessary” single-use plastic packaging a thing of the past. Forty two businesses, who are responsible for over 80% of the plastic packaging on products sold through UK supermarkets have signed up and agreed to a series of ambitious targets by 2025. This includes eliminating problematic or unnecessary single -use plastic packaging through redesign, innovation or reuse delivery models;100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable; 30% average recycled content across all plastic packaging.
WRAP has also announced that plastics will be the focus of the 2018 recycle week, which takes place from Monday 24 to Sunday 30 September. The annual event is now in its fifteenth year and aims to encourage the public to recycle more by demonstrating the benefits of recycling items from all around the home. The Partnership utilises the free of charge WRAP resources throughout the year and the Partnerships’ community education and engagement programme will dovetail with the specific Recycle Week resources during September. This will be further enhanced following initial discussions with intu Metrocentre about how the Partnership could support waste-related and recycling awareness events that are being planned within the centre.
Government has recently announced plans for the introduction of a deposit return scheme in England to boost recycling rates and reduce litter. A national YouGov poll revealed that nearly three quarters of British drinks consumers would be likely to return plastic bottles and aluminium cans under such as scheme with a deposit of just 10 pence.80% of people also believe that there should be more recycling bins with nearly 40 % of people admitting they are more likely to put plastic bottles and cans in a general rubbish bin.
The LGA has highlighted that any government initiatives to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2024 must work alongside existing kerbside recycling services and not be viewed as an alternative if they are to be a success. 985 of local authorities currently provide a kerbside collection service that includes plastic bottles and over half of councils provide drop-off points for plastics.
RESOLVED - That the Joint Executive Committee noted the information presented.