The government's decision not to introduce material-specific landfill bans in the short-term is “common sense” at a time of budgetary constraints, according to councils and recycling and waste management companies.
However, organics and wood recyclers have expressed their disappointment at the move, claiming that more needs to be done to keep biodegradable waste out of landfill.
This decision will allow councils to keep the flexibility to operate the types of bin collections that work for local people
Cllr Gary Porter, LGA
Yesterday, recycling minister Lord Henley said the government was “not minded to introduce landfill bans at this stage” (see letsrecycle.com story). This came in response to a consultation on the possibility of introducing restrictions on the landfilling of various material streams in England and Wales.
Welcoming this, the Local Government Association (LGA) immediately said that if bans had been introduced, they would have required “huge investment”.
Cllr Gary Porter, chairman of the LGA environment board, said: “At a time when council budgets are under unprecedented pressure it is encouraging that the Government has listened to councils and decided not to go ahead with a ban on landfilling certain types of waste.”
Cllr Porter said that it should be up to councils to decide how to dispose of waste, adding: “This decision will allow councils to keep the flexibility to operate the types of bin collections that work for local people.”
Rick Hindley, executive director of aluminium packaging recycling trade body Alupro, also praised the government for listening to industry.
He said: “It would have pre-empted the waste review to support bans. We're pretty pleased with what the government has said as we felt there are other things already in place that will achieve the same things, such as the landfill tax escalator.”
“In the longer term – 10 to 15 years away perhaps, if we're not achieving the desired results, landfill bans should be looked at but we still wouldn't be advocates of material-specific bans, and would looking at banning landfill of mixed wastes.”
Unnecessary
Support for maintenance of the status quo also came from waste management companies, such as Veolia and Viridor, with the latter claiming that it was more important to improve the planning system than to introduce further restrictions on landfill.
Dan Cooke, external affairs manager, said: “Viridor welcomes this common-sense decision in the current economic climate. Landfill bans at this time would have been unnecessary and highly impractical.
The trade body for waste management companies, the Environmental Services Association (ESA), added that it was also sympathetic to the government's decision.
An ESA spokesperson said: “ESA supported the primary aim behind the proposals for landfill restrictions, which was to extract more value from the waste that we currently consign to landfill.
“However, we do recognise the practical difficulties that might have arisen out of operating and enforcing such restrictions and we agree with the Government that the most effective driver for diverting waste from landfill has and will continue to be, the landfill tax.”
Criticism
However, while many supported the government's decision, some recycling organisations and environmental groups said that ministers were not doing enough to protect the environment.
Jeremy Jacobs, managing director of the Association for Organics Recycling (AfOR), said that, while a lot had already been achieved in diverting waste from landfill, a lot more needed to be done – particularly in the case of food which emits the greenhouse gas methane when disposed of in landfill.
The government has been very clear on the negative effects of food waste going to landfill so why not make the commitment to restrict it from landfill?
Jeremy Jacobs, AfOR
He said: “The government has been very clear on the negative effects of food waste going to landfill so why not make the commitment to restrict it from landfill? There is no reason why they shouldn't have a ban.
“It's about ensuring they have done it in a measured way but with a distinct timetable in place to ensure industry put the infrastructure in place and get the financial support required.”
Dr Michael Warhurst, Friends of the Earth resource use campaigner, agreed that a ban would help to protect the environment.
He said: “If the coalition is serious about delivering on its promise of being the greenest government ever, it must ban the land-filling and incineration of recyclable material, which will help cut climate changing emissions and create new jobs.”
Wood
Disappointment over the government's decision also came from Peter Butt, secretary of the Wood Recyclers' Association, who explained that, with renewable energy taking off, demand for recovered wood was increasing year-on-year. A ban, therefore, would help increase supply, he said.
“We are a supply-driven industry so we want to see anything that will help increase supply.
“The WRA holds to the view that a landfill ban in the near future would be a good thing, certainly as regards our material stream and we are disappointed to hear the government's decision, although we understand it is operating under very difficult circumstances.”
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