According to a report by BBC News, new consistent waste collection rules in England have been delayed until after the local elections on 4 May.
The new policy was expected to be made public in February, almost two years after the initial consultation on waste consistency.
Local authorities have previously warned that the UK government’s plans to introduce consistent waste collections across councils in England could be “chaotic and unworkable”.
A Defra spokesperson said: “We want to make recycling easier and ensure that there is a comprehensive, consistent service across England. This will help increase recycled material in the products we buy and boost a growing UK recycling industry.”
Defra has said that once the new requirements from the Environment Act 2021 for the separate collection of waste are in place, people will be able to recycle the same materials from every household and non-household municipal premises.
We want to make recycling easier and ensure that there is a comprehensive, consistent service across England.
It continued that local authorities (LAs) will be required to collect the recyclable waste streams separately from one another unless it is not technically or economically practicable or there is no significant environmental benefit in doing so.
If this is the case, LAs can decide to collect two or more of the recyclable waste streams together upon completion of a written assessment – except for food and garden waste, which are required to always be collected separately from the dry recyclable waste streams.
Defra said that the new requirements will also constitute a significant step towards meeting the government’s 25-Year Environment Plan commitment to eliminate avoidable waste by 2050 and contribute towards meeting recycling targets.
“Extremely disappointed”
Reacting to the announcement, Lee Marshall, Policy and External Affairs Director, CIWM, said: “CIWM is extremely disappointed to hear that the government response on consistent collections has once again been delayed.
“When combined with EPR, this policy is key to increasing recycling rates in England. It will, however, require some significant changes to be made and these cannot be started while we still have a lack of clarity from government.”
CIWM says it is concerned that each delay is creating a bigger procurement bottleneck that will cause “severe problems” in implementing the changes smoothly and efficiently.
CIWM is extremely disappointed to hear that the government response on consistent collections has once again been delayed.
Marshall continued: “Recently, we have seen different parts of the material chain taking potshots at the policies, and the lack of timely information from government has allowed these to happen. There is a danger of undoing the good work done so far and diminishing the positive way all parts of the material chain have contributed up to this point.
“CIWM urges all involved to resist publicly ‘lobbying’, as this can create more difficulties for policymakers and risks undermining the progress that has been made. CIWM wants to see the government play its part by getting the consistent collections information released so we can work together on the implementation phase of these key policies that will help to move the world beyond waste.”
