As first reported by letsrecycle.com, Sir James, the Environment Agency’s chief executive, made the remarks when speaking at an Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee on 14 March (see letsrecycle.com story).
The Agency’s chief executive said that while guidance is “very clear” on what can be exported legally, sending such waste to other countries “is legal but not right”.
Sir James reasoned that he doesn’t think it is a “sustainable business model”, with more countries refusing to take waste from the UK.
However, this stance was met with strong opposition from the Recycling Association, which is the trade association for UK recycling businesses. The association’s chief executive, Simon Ellin, disputed Sir James’s claims regarding clarity.
“This is nonsense from Sir James. I don’t understand the regulations as it isn’t clear, top lawyers have told us the law doesn’t specify the conditions, and as an industry we have kept pushing for a clear picture over many years,” he said.
Dr Ellin then continued: “Perhaps we are fortunate that Sir James is stepping down from his role at the end of this month, as this isn’t the first time he has overstepped the mark as a civil servant by giving his inaccurate personal opinion.”
Perhaps we are fortunate that Sir James is stepping down
- Simon Ellin, Recycling Association
‘Commodity’
Dr Ellin said that “as part of a global circular economy, we need to send materials back to where they were manufactured in the first place to be turned into new products”. He also noted that “we have got to stop treating them as waste, but recognise they are a commodity”.
Addressing the issue of environmental damage, which Sir James also touched on, Dr Ellin outlined: “Often exports go to recycling facilities that are as good as, or sometimes better, than the ones we have in the UK, whether that is in Europe, Turkey, India, or South East Asia. These countries often have their own tough import restrictions and inspection regimes, and legitimate exporters work very hard to meet those.”
Infrastructure
Dr Ellin then warned that this could lead to a UK market that “lacks competition and will inevitably lead to inefficiencies”. He added that more UK material might go to landfill and energy recovery as a result, moving it down the waste hierarchy.
Sir James noted that an export ban would set an incentive to process all waste domestically, which he thought “will generate innovation and more business domestically”. The Recycling Association’s chief agreed that the UK recycling infrastructure needs investment and listed a few examples where this is underway, including Mura Technology making an investment in plastic processing in Teesside.
Dr Ellin added that the introduction of extended producer responsibility (EPR) and consistency of collections, “we should see more use of core materials in packaging and better quality when it is collected”.
“This will help ensure we provide high standard commodities to the UK and export markets. By introducing clear specifications on export, along with digital waste tracking, it will bring more transparency and accountability to the market,” Dr Ellin explained.
Waste crime
Dr Ellin also highlighted the problem with waste crime, which “the Environment Agency has spectacularly failed on tackling under sir James’s stewardship in my opinion”. Dr Ellin then said he hopes the next chief executive will work with the recycling industry to allow legitimate exports of recyclate that benefits the UK.
Sir James is to stand down at the end of the month after seven years in the role. He first called for an export ban in April 2022. While the EFRA committee recommended the government adopt a ban soon after, it was rejected in January (see letsrecycle.com story).
Subscribe for free