2024 has seen a lot of change in the resources and waste management industry, below we break down 10 of the biggest news stories from a hectic year.
Following on from our list last year, Circular Online has covered the ten biggest waste management news stories from 2024, along with insights from industry experts.
General Election
The biggest news story in the UK this year was undoubtedly the General Election.
On 4 July, Labour overturned 14 years of Conservative Government, winning 411 seats in a landslide result.
Shortly after Sir Keir Starmer became the 58th Prime Minister of the UK, he appointed Steve Reed as the Environment Secretary.
In one of his first public statements, Reed said that moving Britain to a zero-waste economy is one of his Department’s five core priorities.
This built on Labour’s manifesto commitment to reducing waste by moving the UK to a circular economy.
Reed previously indicated Labour would target a zero-waste economy by 2050 and highlighted analysis he had seen that shows transitioning to a zero-waste economy would add a “£70 billion boost to the economy”.
Not long after the election, Reed appointed the MP for Coventry East Mary Creagh as Minister of Nature in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) with responsibility for circular economy.
The appointment marked the first time there has been a Circular Economy minister.
This wasn’t the only sign the new administration was embracing the alternative economic model as in September Defra issued a call for applicants for a new Circular Economy Taskforce.
Following the disbanding of the Resources and Waste Strategy Stakeholder Group, the new Taskforce is set to advise Defra as it develops a Circular Economy Strategy.
Insight: Dan Cooke, CIWM Director of Policy, Communications and External Affairs
“Wow, what a year for the recycling, resources and waste sector. After a start of quiet frustration, with a whole load of reforms stacked up but going nowhere (although fair play to Michael Gove and his successors for at least keeping them alive on the back burner), we then got a major changing of the guard and government dynamics in the July election.
“The new government came out punching, with some clear ambitions, including clear signalling from Steve Reed on their ambitions for a Zero Waste society and for serious moves towards a more circular economy.
“CIWM released its top 3 opportunities for government (form a circular economy taskforce, accelerate the implementation of the Resource and Waste Strategy reforms and regulations, and incentivise green skills development for jobs and growth), and we’re pleased to note substantial progress on each of them – although our sector needs to ensure that renewable energy doesn’t stay the sole focus of skills development.
CIWM stands ready to support our members as they work out the details and implications of the reforms now in play.
“The reforms are coming thick and fast which, although complex, is being generally welcomed across the sector as the vital platform for progress, investment and growth.
“Local authorities got an early Christmas present when the EPR funding allocation landed on desks and there was also a fair bit of acquisition activity in the private sector – usually a healthy sign.
“CIWM stands ready to support our members as they work out the details and implications of the reforms now in play, and the biggies yet to come (including a long-term game-changer in ETS), and to support and scrutinise the work of the Circular Economy Taskforce in the New Year as it works towards developing a new strategy and setting the tone for the next decade. Like I said, wow.”
Mixed reaction to BBC waste incineration report
Normally, the resources and waste sector spends its time fighting to be noticed but, in October, waste incineration was the lead story on the front page of BBC News.
BBC analysis found Energy-from-Waste was the “dirtiest way the UK generates power” as it generated the same amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for each unit of energy as coal power.
The Environmental Services Association (ESA) contested the findings, saying it is “incorrect” to compare EfW GHG emissions with other forms of energy generation without accounting for the emissions it avoids by diverting waste from landfill.
CIWM said the BBC’s analysis raised some important issues but “omits a number of key factors”.
“EfW facilities are designed as a transition technology, with an average expected operational life of 25-30 years,” a CIWM statement said.
“This should enable regulatory and market development to incentivise and enable waste prevention and recycling measures to improve overall resource efficiency.
CIWM called for Extended Producer Responsibility, Consistent Recycling collections, Plastics Packaging Tax, and the Emissions Trading Scheme for EfW plants, to be quickly implemented to “significantly increase” recycling levels.
In a statement, the ESA said: “The vital role of EfW facilities is to treat societal waste left over after recycling.
“It is important to point out that neither local nor national policy prioritises the use of waste as a fuel to generate energy over other sources.
“The energy generated is simply a beneficial by-product of treating waste, which is a vital societal function.”
Waste Crime
Some of the biggest stories on Circular Online this year have covered various forms of waste crime.
We asked Steve Molyneaux, the Environment Agency’s Deputy Director for Waste and Resources Regulation, to reflect on the year and the regulator’s successes.
Insight: Steve Molyneaux, the Environment Agency’s Deputy Director for Waste and Resources Regulation
“In February, we launched our Economic Crime Unit (ECU) to target the money and assets of waste criminals to remove the benefits of their crimes.
“The ECU has been instrumental in several cases this year, including a Penzance businessman, ordered to pay £54,900, a Devon man sentenced to 32 months and ordered to pay over £200,00 in POCA and a Newquay farmer ordered to pay £72,200.95 in POCA (Proceeds of Crime Act confiscation).
“Meanwhile, waste criminals lost their freedom as courts sent them to prison, including a Kent criminal in January and nine defendants in Lincolnshire in October.
“We are determined to make waste criminals pay for the damage they cause. This is the case with SSSI Hoads Wood, which has been spoiled by 30,000 tonnes of illegally dumped waste.
“We have arranged for the site to be legally and safely cleared but it is unacceptable that this is at taxpayers’ expense, so we will continue to pursue those responsible to recover the cost.
“In November, we launched our consultation on our proposed new charges to fund our regulatory work targeting waste crime; we invite you to respond by 20 January 2025.
“As we head into 2025, we remain resolute in our mission to stop waste criminals. We encourage anyone with information that can help us to report anonymously to Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111 or online.”
Disposable vape ban
In the summer, the UK Government announced the sale of disposable vapes will be banned from June 2026, as part of the “first step” on the road towards a circular economy.
The ban was first announced in January by the previous government but wasn’t implemented before the General Election.
Similar bans are expected from the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, but a timeline has not been confirmed yet.
CIWM applauded the announcement, calling disposable vapes a “poorly designed product” manufactured with only short-term profit in mind.
“As a society, we must quickly learn the lessons of such poor product design and short-term thinking, as we move towards a more circular economy and a world beyond waste,” CIWM said.
However, the UK Vaping Industry Association has called the ban “counterproductive”, claiming the legislation could increase the sale of illegal vapes.
Insight: Daniel Barrett, of Biffa’s Reactive Services
“In the UK, more than seven million single-use vapes are purchased every week – many of which end up in general waste or littered due to consumer confusion around correct disposal and recyclability.
“This important issue has been widely reported this year, bringing it to the attention of the public which has resulted in the upcoming ban on disposable vapes.
“The ban is a significant step towards reducing this complex, hard-to-recycle single-use waste, benefitting the circular economy and alleviating the environmental burden.
“However, even with the upcoming ban, it remains vital that businesses selling any type of vape implement suitable take-back schemes to comply with Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations or face possible fines of up to £5,000.
“Alarmingly, a recent Biffa survey found that only 25% of small businesses have a take-back scheme in place, while only another 36% plan to introduce one. This suggests a significant number of SMEs are unaware of the financial risk of not having a scheme in place.
“Initiatives like Biffa’s Vape Take-back Scheme not only keep businesses compliant with the law, but also provide customers with a convenient place to dispose of vape waste, leading to fewer lithium batteries in the wrong recycling centres, and a reduction of e-waste littering.”
DRS drama
The change in government left a lot of legislative changes in flux.
The UK’s much-delayed deposit return scheme (DRS) is one policy with numerous question marks hanging over it.
After some confusion, Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh confirmed the scheme will go live in October 2027, the deadline set under the previous government.
Creagh then announced the DRSs in England and Northern Ireland would not include glass as an in-scope material and instead include polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, steel, and aluminium drink containers.
Then, last month, Wales announced it was withdrawing from a UK-wide DRS, with the Deputy First Minister blaming issues caused by the UK Internal Market Act 2020.
The Welsh Government told Circular Online that as Wales is delivering recycling rates comparable to international DRSs a “narrow, recycling-only scheme does not work” in a Welsh context.
In response to the decision, Defra reaffirmed its commitment to launching a scheme aligned across England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
The UK Government has now laid the draft legislation in Parliament for the DRS in England and Northern Ireland.
Simpler Recycling changes
In November, Defra confirmed that paper and cardboard will need to be collected separately under the new Simpler Recycling regulations.
Defra published updated guidance for waste collectors and workplaces on managing waste separation, which requires the collection of dry recyclables, food waste, and residual black bin waste as separate streams.
This legal obligation will come into force on 31 March 2025, with an extended deadline of 31 March 2027 for micro-businesses employing fewer than 10 full-time staff.
Workplaces will be able to decide container sizes and collection frequencies based on waste volume but must ensure proper segregation.
From April 2025, the public can also report workplaces not adhering to Simpler Recycling regulations to the Environment Agency.
Paul Sanderson, Chief Executive of The Recycling Association, welcomed the policy update, saying it seemed like a “good compromise”.
The Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) also expressed support for the decision, describing it as a significant step towards improving the quality of recyclable paper and cardboard.
CIWM welcomed Defra’s announcement and said it is pleased that the government has moved forward on the policy, “which makes recycling even more convenient for households and businesses”.
Reeves promises councils in-year top up if EPR fees are not received
After local authorities warned that pEPR fees will not meet the full costs they’re facing, the Treasury said there will be an in-year top-up in 2025-26 if councils do not receive the estimated £1.1 billion in funding.
Details of the in-year top-up will be set out through the Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS) process, which is the annual determination of funding to local government from central government.
As part of the Autumn Budget, the Treasury announced the funding will only be available “exceptionally” for 2025-26.
The Local Government Association had said that payments from EPR were unlikely to cover the extra costs that arise when households put recyclable waste in the wrong bin.
The North London Waste Authority also warned that revised base fees for EPR were “too low” and would impact the finances of local authorities.
Incinerator interference
Waste incinerators have made the news a lot this year.
Before the General Election, then Environment Secretary Steve Barclay came under fire after the BBC reported personally intervened to ask if a minister could stop waste incinerators being licensed in England.
According to the BBC, Barclay made an urgent request to government lawyers the day after planning permission was granted to build an EfW plant in his Cambridgeshire constituency.
Barclay has been a vocal opponent of the planned waste incinerator since proposals were first submitted to the government in 2019.
Civil service officials previously raised concerns about a possible, or perceived, conflict between Barclay’s constituency and ministerial roles in approving the Wisbech EfW facility.
The Ministerial Code requires ministers to ensure there is no conflict of interest with their role as a constituency MP.
In June, after Parliament had dissolved for the General Election, Barclay said he was “appalled” by the Environment Agency’s decision to grant a permit for the waste incinerator in his constituency.
Tesco and Sainsbury’s plastic take-back schemes
In October, an investigation into soft plastic take-back schemes offered by Tesco and Sainsbury’s generated a mixed response.
Everyday Plastic and the Environmental Investigation Agency tracked 40 bundles of soft plastic packaging waste through take-back schemes in Tesco and Sainsbury’s across England.
Of the tracked soft plastic packaging waste collected for recycling, 70% of the bundles that reached a known destination were burnt, EveryDay Plastic said.
Environmental law non-governmental organisation ClientEarth said the results of the investigation show that supermarket soft plastic take-back schemes are “misleading” customers.
Responding to the investigation, a Sainsbury’s spokesperson told Circular Online: “We collect a small volume of flexible plastic overall in-store. The majority is in good condition and so is recycled.
“However, when materials are soiled or damaged, then they may need to be converted for energy, which is managed by our supplier. Feedback is important to us and we’d welcome any suggestions on how we can improve our efforts in this area.”
Feedback is important to us and we’d welcome any suggestions on how we can improve our efforts in this area.
Sainsbury’s said it has improved signage to include more information about which items are accepted in the take-back scheme and the condition items should ideally be in.
A Tesco spokesperson told Circular Online the supermarket works hard to recycle all plastic it collects and, where recycling is not possible, it puts the material to alternative uses to avoid sending it to landfill.
Reacting to the investigation, CIWM’s Director of Innovation and Technical Services Lee Marshall said: “The UK is in the early stages of recycling films and flexible plastics, and front-of-store collections are an important part of proving and growing the collection systems required.
“While we do not want to see material collected for recycling not being recycled, we have to recognise that we are in the process of developing and growing markets for this type of packaging, and it will take some time for the system to be fully efficient.”
Insight into how policy decisions are made
Two revealing pieces of research shed light on the internal government machinations on resources and waste.
The first, published in January, found the majority of MPs were against the government intervening – either through taxes, or a ban – to reduce the amount of packaging used by their constituents.
The research, commissioned by Cavendish Consulting and undertaken by YouGov, showed 49% of MPs supported interventions to reduce single-use plastic packaging compared to 68% of the public.
However, these attitudes may have changed over the last 12 months as the General Election saw a record 335 new MPs returned to Parliament, the largest number in modern history.
Secondly, a Green Alliance investigation found the connection between using resources better and achieving environmental goals has been “poorly understood” in government and amongst politicians.
According to insiders interviewed by Green Alliance, large brands with linear business models have held back change.
When discussing the barriers faced by previous administrations, a former Defra civil servant implied that lobbying from vested interests in the waste industry was the reason resources policy is primarily focused on waste – a perspective backed up by a “Westminster insider”.
A former advisor to Number 10 also told Green Alliance that the UK’s DRS was delayed as one senior decision-maker opposed it because they only used online supermarket deliveries.
