Alliance condemns government for PRN discrimination

The damning attack has been made primarily at the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions by the Recycling Industries Alliance.

The Alliance speaks on behalf of five trade associations, the British Metals Federation, the Independent Glass Recyclers Association, the Independent Waste Paper Processors Association, the Textile Recycling Association and the Wood Recycling Association.
The accusations come in response to the DETR’s consultation paper on packaging waste targets for 2001.

The RIA highlights the government’s refusal to allow the independent recyclers to issue packaging waste recovery notes in the wake of the 1998 court ruling that Mayer Parry was processing material to a high standard which was then no longer a waste.

Following the decision to refer a recent court case on the issue to the European Court of Justice, the RIA says that this implies “a further 18 months of positive discrimination and disadvantage for independent waste processors/recyclers. This affects all material stream – metals, glass, paper, wood and textiles. (Plastics are the exception where the processor is recognised as being eligible for accreditation).”

The RIA’s submission adds that the real hardships forced on all independent waste processors/recyclers and lack of evident interest or action by government led directly to the formation of the alliance.

David Burnikell, chairman of the RIA, said that members were very concerned that the present accreditation arrangements effectively put PRN revenue in the hands of traditional users of recycled material. “We feel that these companies have no intrinsic interest in developing new end used for recycled materials which if successful would limit and perhaps even increase the cost of materials they may now obtain cheaply.”

Mr Burnikell went on to claim that most investment in new markets and high value end uses “has to date been undertaken by independent recyclers”. email: admin@recyclingindustriesalliance.org.uk