The
Environmental Permitting Regulations from 2016 (for Wales and England) are a
set of rules allowing the Environment Agency (EA) to offer standard permits to businesses
and facilities processing biowaste in a way that reduces administrative burden
while upholding environmental standards. The EA is proposing revisions to these
rules to improve industrial performance while keeping up to
date with the government’s environmental objectives, to improve soil health,
and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the revisions also reflect
the EA wish to take more of an active part in the
bioeconomy, notably by promoting anaerobic digestion (AD).
Earlier this month the EA published data from a
consultation it ran in 2020 to gather views on the proposed revisions with
stakeholders including public bodies, environmental organisations and
individuals. It appeared that the majority of the 45 participants
disagreed with the revisions overall. More particularly, concerning the
revisions of plastic contamination regulations, 16 out of 25 participants
disagreed with the proposed 0.5% w/w (weight per weight) limit on non-biodegradable
plastic in incoming waste.
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