Waste Watch – August 2016

This update contains brief details of Government and EU publications, legislation, cases and other developments in England and Wales relevant to those interested in municipal waste management, which have been published in the past month.

Items are set out by subject, with a link to where the full document can be found on the internet. All links are correct at the date of publication.

If you have been forwarded this update by a colleague and would like to receive it direct please email Claire Booth.

The following topics are covered in this update:

Enforcement

Westminster City Council: Starbucks fined £160k for leaving rubbish on Westminster streets: reports that Westminster Magistrates' Court has fined Starbucks after the company pleaded guilty to four offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. It was fined £40,000 for each offence, plus £3,501.17 in costs and a £120 victim surcharge. Westminster City Council brought the prosecution after the company repeatedly left rubbish bags on a busy central London pavement outside of normal collection times. (11 August 2016)

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Food Waste

HC Library: Food waste – Key facts, policy and trends in the UK: this Library Briefing sets out some key food waste facts and trends. It also gives an explanation of the impacts of food waste and summarises: food waste policy and legislation; information on the UK voluntary initiatives in place to tackle food waste; and a summary of proposals for change. It does not discuss the impact of the EU referendum result. (30 August 2016)

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Municipal Waste

Essex CC: Crackdown on illegal waste at recycling centres: the Council is changing the way that HWRCs operate, to prevent taxpayers footing the bill for business waste, reduce queues for genuine customers and reduce daytime closures. From 31 October, about half of the county’s sites will no longer allow vans or multi-axle trailers in and will no longer offer any disposal facilities for DIY and construction waste; the remaining sites will still offer access to residents using a commercial type vehicle, but will place strict limits on how much DIY waste can be disposed of. (16 August 2016)

Welsh Government: Local authority municipal waste management, January to March 2016: these provisional figures show that recycling in Wales continues to increase and is at its highest ever recorded level. All but three of Wales’ 22 local authorities successfully reached the 58% target, based on the provisional data. The remaining local authorities have received additional funding as part of the Welsh Government’s Collaborative Change Programme. This will enable them to make improvements to collection services and depot facilities and support them to meet statutory recycling targets in future years. (24 August 2016)

WRAP Cymru: National municipal waste compositional analysis in Wales: presents the results of research into the composition of municipal solid waste in Wales in 2015. The analysis showed that out of the 1.55 million tonnes of MSW collected in 2014-2015 856,000 tonnes were collected for recycling either on the kerbside or via other types of collection. The information can be used by national and local governments to inform their waste management policy and communications. (30 June 2016)

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Permitting and Licensing

Natural Resources Wales: Consultation on standard rules permits: seeks views on proposed changes to a number of waste standard rules sets, issued under the Environmental Permitting Regulations. The changes involve asbestos handling, metals and household packaging recycling, fire prevention plans and the use of waste for recovery operations. The consultation closes on 14 October 2016. (1 August 2016)

Environment Agency: Fire prevention plans – Environmental permits: revised guidance on fire prevention plans (FPPs) for operators who store combustible wastes at permitted sites. Compliance with the guidance is likely to mean that the Agency will approve the FPP. Operators applying for a permit to carry out a waste operation involving combustible waste must include the FPP in their permit application. (29 July 2016)

Environment Agency: Standard rules for the Environmental Permitting Regulations – Consultation no.14: Landspreading business engagement assessment – Summary of responses and decisions: summarises responses to the January 2016 consultation on a draft business engagement assessment (BEA) on changes to a number of existing standard rules in relation to: landspreading and digestate storage; deposit for recovery; and soil transfer, treatment and recovery. The new and amended standard rules bringing into effect the decisions resulting from consultation no.14 will be published before the end of 2016. (18 August 2016)

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Procurement

WRAP: How to include re-use in local authority HWRC procurement: guide for local authorities and their partners that are funding or running Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) of the procurement options and opportunities available when introducing or improving re-use services. It should be helpful to local authorities wanting to include one or several reusable material streams in their HWRC contracts. (6 July 2016)

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Recycling

BBC: Rejected recyclable waste up 84% in England since 2011, data shows: a BBC Freedom of Information request has found that councils were unable to recycle 338,000 tons of waste in 2014-15 - up from about 184,000 tons in 2011-12. But DEFRA data shows total recycled waste rose from 10.7m to 11m tons a year in the period. Councils say they are working to stop people putting the wrong items in bins. (23 August 2016)

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Waste Management

Environmental Services Association: Resourceful – Delivering a strong and competitive UK resource economy: this strategy paper outlines policies that will ensure Britain has a world leading and sustainable waste and resource management network which can be competitive in what is now a global market and deliver efficiency, increase productivity and employment and, crucially, create economic growth. (1 August 2016)
 

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