Waste Strategy factsheets
What the waste strategy means for you
What the waste strategy means for individuals
People have an important part to play in reducing and managing their waste and by recycling – even outside of the home. The proposals in the strategy are intended to help people to do more:
- People will be able to opt-out of receiving unaddressed as well as addressed direct mail, following agreement with the Direct Marketing Association to extend the current scheme. The scope for an opt-in scheme where people only get such mail if they place their name on a register is being explored.
- People who fly tip their waste are damaging the environment, making everyone else pay to clear up after them. Action will be stepped up to deter those responsible using better information and strengthened enforcement powers.
- Owners of public places are being asked to provide recycling facilities in public areas like shopping malls, train stations and cinema multiplexes. The Government is working with them to draw up guidance and a code of practice. A number of major owners are already supporting this.
- There will be more information and awareness campaigns on recycling and how to reduce waste. This will include national campaigns, support for local authority information activity and work by community groups. There will be more information on the government’s greener living guide.
- Children and young people will be shown what should be done to reduce waste and recycle, and why, at school through new guidance to schools and award schemes.
- Businesses are being encouraged to take greater responsibility for the impacts of their operations. Likely results of this include: consumers being able to purchase compost made from garden and kitchen waste, more products made with recycled materials, more paper products with a high recycled content and more plastic bottles with a recycled content.
- Businesses are being asked to take greater responsibility for the environmental impact of their products and operations. A new products and materials unit within Defra will help identify the actions needed to improve the environmental performance of products throughout their life cycle. The increase in the landfill tax escalator (announced by the Chancellor in the Budget 2007) of £8 per year from 2008 until at least 2010/11 means that it will be cheaper for businesses to separate waste materials for recycling; freeing up more resources to invest in reducing their waste.
- The Business Resource Efficiency and Waste programme (financed from the landfill tax) will continue to advise businesses on how to reduce and recycle their waste (with £4 saved by business for each £1 of government money); and design products that lower waste and other environmental impacts. The regulatory system is being simplified through reforming the permitting and exemption systems. There will be set standards for products made from recycled waste (e.g. compost), that will be a clear “mark of quality” for consumers.
- Clear standards will be developed for products to reduce excess packaging. e.g. by setting optimal packaging standards for a product class. Higher recycling targets will be proposed (subject to analysis) beyond the 2008 European targets, that would require businesses to recycle more of the packaging they produce. Industry and local authorities are currently working together to develop the most cost effective way to collect household packaging waste to be recycled.
- Retailers are being asked to phase out the use of free disposable bags. This could involve them only selling long-life reusable bags or alternatively charging for disposable bags. The proceeds could then be used to sell long-life bags at a discount. Retailers have already agreed to reduce the environmental impact of free disposable bags by 25% by the end of 2008.
- Non-food retailers are being invited to join the Courtauld Commitment of major retailers and food brands to reduce packaging, food and other post-consumer food waste.
- For construction projects over a certain value site waste management plans will, subject to the current consultation, become mandatory, helping to reduce and recycle construction waste.
- A consultation is launched today that proposes removing the ban on local authorities introducing financial incentives schemes. If the ban were to be lifted, these schemes would reward households for reducing and recycling their waste. It would be for individual local authorities – not Government – to decide whether or not they wished to introduce a scheme for their area. It is estimated that the schemes could lead to reductions in the amount of non-recycled waste of between 13 and 39 per cent.
- WRAP will provide advice and information services on different collection systems and their impacts, helping get the most environmental value from recycled materials in a cost-effective way. This includes evaluation of separate food waste collection through their support for a number of further trials.
- The Defra Waste Infrastructure Delivery Programme (WIDP), a sponsored team of expert advisers, help local authorities buy the best services and facilities in the most cost-effective way (including use of the Private Finance Initiative). The team is also encouraging new entrants to the waste management market. A range of technologies that produce energy from waste that cannot be re-used or recycled, will be supported through the Private Finance Initiative. Budget 2007 announced that Enhanced Capital Allowances would be made available for good quality Combined Heat and Power schemes, so that they would have the necessary equipment to use secondary recovered fuel (from waste). The banding of the Renewable Obligations scheme announced in the Energy White Paper proposes greater levels of support for anaerobic digestion, gasification and pyrolysis.
- Local authorities can also enlist the help of third sector organisations with delivery arrangements in their areas (e.g. prevention, re-use and separate kerbside collection). Help will be given through WRAP and Futurebuilders to third sector organisations to build their capacity to operate in the recycling and waste sectors.
- New local government legislation is going through Parliament which will enable local authorities (following consultation with local residents) to set up Joint Waste Authorities and work together more easily to improve local waste services.
- The current individual authority recycling targets will be replaced. There are proposals for a new indicator emphasising waste prevention as well as recycling, setting a minimum recycling service level across the country and giving incentives for joint working. In the longer term, an indicator measuring the climate change impact of a local authority’s waste management operations is to be developed.
- As part of their local leadership, local authorities are asked to help their local businesses reduce and recycle their waste. The Government is supporting this through funding for pilot initiatives by local authorities and preparation of guidance and dissemination of good practice.
- Government will be launching a zero waste places initiative in the autumn inviting a number of cities, towns or villages, with their local communities and businesses to become exemplars of good practice on all aspects of waste.
What the waste strategy means for business
Businesses have a big part to play in creating economic and environmental gains by ensuring their operations use recycled materials and include waste reduction measures. The strategy will offer the incentives and guidance to do this:
What the waste strategy means for local authorities
Local authorities are responsible for how waste is managed in their area. They should work with their communities to provide convenient collection and recycling services for their residents, and local businesses; and plan and invest in new infrastructure to divert waste from landfill. The proposals in the strategy will give them further incentives and tools to do so.
Page last modified:
18 June 2007
Page published: 24 May 2007