UK companies, including waste management and recycling service providers, are still lagging in their ability to comply with the Environment Act’s new standards, according to ISB Global founder and CEO Chris Williams.
Writing in a blog post on ISB Global’s website, Williams said that organisations’ outdated IT systems are failing to provide a comprehensive, joined-up view of the waste and emissions generated by both waste management companies and their customers, as well as the various processes to manage them.
“Like all new legislation, the UK Environment Act requires businesses to go through a period of change to meet the new regulations and standards it contains.
“But more than 12 months since the Act became law, some organisations still need to introduce new methods and processes before they can be fully compliant. An integrated approach is crucial when making these changes,” Williams wrote on the software provider’s website.
Achieving these goals relies on companies devising, implementing and monitoring a range of individual policies themselves.
Williams continued that the measures included in the Environment Act, such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), a deposit return scheme (DRS) for single-use drinks containers, charges for single-use plastics and digital waste tracking, have no “detailed pathways” to achieving them.
“Achieving these goals relies on companies devising, implementing and monitoring a range of individual policies themselves.
“It also requires a concerted effort from the waste and recycling industry to improve processes, take advantage of circular economy opportunities and measure and report their progress,” Williams wrote.
To comply with the standards and obligations set out in the Act, Williams said companies must become more efficient, manage their greenhouse gas emission plans, make financial investments in people and systems and prioritise supporting a more circular economy.
Williams continued that many companies have multiple IT systems covering standalone functions, which means the systems exist in siloes and are not designed to work together.
Managing and monitoring all activities through a single centralised, transparent system is essential.
This leads to a lack of effective data collection and “little visibility” across a business’s operations, Williams wrote, which makes decision-making difficult. As a result, Williams said companies miss “significant opportunities” to improve operational performance, cut overheads and potentially reduce their waste and emissions and those of their customers.
Williams concluded his blog post, by writing: “Every business faces sanctions if it fails to comply with the new regulations included in the UK Environment Act, and the waste management sector is no exception.
“Managing and monitoring all activities through a single centralised, transparent system is essential for our industry to properly manage waste and emissions, to meet both our own and customers’ legal and regulatory responsibilities.”
