Last
week, NNFCC published its eighth annual “AD Deployment in the UK” report summarising
the developments in the UK’s AD industry over the past 12 months and looking
ahead to future developments in the sector. A few days later, Defra released
its “Consultation on consistency in household and business recycling in
England”, aiming to “reduce confusion in the materials that can be collected
for recycling at kerbside”. The proposed changes, if enacted, have the
potential to lead to less contaminated waste streams, which would in turn
increase recycling rates, and eventually have a positive impact on AD
deployment, capacity and performance in the future.
In
May 2019, Defra concluded its first consultation on “Consistency in Household
and Business Recycling Collections in England” to inform the Environment Bill
currently being processed through the House of Commons. As a result of this
first consultation, a set of recyclable waste stream collections will be set up
for households, businesses and non-domestic premises. This latest consultation
builds on the progress made in 2019 and seeks to inform the logistical and
legislative aspects of those new recyclable collections. This short summary
will review the parts of the consultation dealing with organics and garden
waste, along with biodegradable and compostable packaging.
For
domestic food waste collections, the consultation proposes that all Waste
Collection Authorities (WCAs) in England be required to collect food waste as a
single waste stream at least once a week, with the aim to recycle or compost it.
An emphasis is being made on using said waste for AD. Defra would expect
separate weekly food waste collections to be introduced during the 2023/24
financial year. Local authorities that do not currently have the required
infrastructure, would be given an additional year to set up the new collection
framework. Similarly, separate food waste collections for relevant non-domestic
municipal premises are proposed. Here, food waste would be separated from dry
recyclables and refuse, and pre-treatment could be applied to the waste prior
to disposal. These measures would apply to non-domestic premises regardless of
size. Finally, Defra proposes that compostable caddy liners be provided to
residents and business owners for the disposal of food waste.
The
proposed collection of garden waste from domestic properties mirrors the one
proposed for food waste. Garden waste would be collected once a week as a
stand-alone waste stream or would be mixed with food waste when waste
segregation is neither possible nor beneficial. It is also proposed that these
measures be implemented in the 2023/24 financial year.
The
Environment Bill does not currently account for a separate waste stream for the
disposal of biodegradable and compostable packaging. For the moment, Defra does
not propose to include those items in any of the other existing recyclable
waste streams either. However, the consultation stipulates that local
authorities and businesses are not prevented from organising a collection for
biodegradable and compostable packaging outside of the proposed framework
themselves, with Defra proposing to provide guidance when needed.
The consultation is available to access here. Respondents are not required to answer all the
questions and are encouraged to focus on the aspects of the survey that are the
most relevant to them. The consultation will close on 4th June 2021.