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NEWS April 2014 Local Authority Waste & Recycling 5 FOR MORE NEWS AND ANALYSIS VISIT www.edie.net /waste Gov't launches call for evidence Defra has launched a call for evidence on refuse derived fuel (RDF) as it is concerned that minimally treated material is being exported. Search 'Defra' £8m investment in recycling Norse Commercial Services has announced that it will be investing £8m in redeveloping its materials recycling facility in Costessey, Norwich. It hopes to expand the range of materials that can be recycled. Search 'Norse' SITA UK signs £10m contract with Walsall SITA UK (see pic below) has signed a £10 million contract with Walsall Council to take over the operation of two household waste and recycling centres (HWRCs) and a waste transfer station from this month. Search 'SITA UK' MEPs vote to reduce plastic bag use Draft rules from the European Parliament's Environment Committee may see European Union states having to reduce consumption of plastic bags by 80 % by 2019. Search 'plastic bag' Online Exclusives edieWaste Helping people make business sustainable A Minister in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills should take a leading role in overseeing waste policies and be a "waste champion", according to a new report by the House Of Lords Science and Technology Committee. In the report entitled 'Waste or resource? Stimulating a bioeconomy', peers suggested that the Government should create a waste champion to take on the job of developing a "brass from muck" bioeconomy - one that could create a multi-billion pound economy as well as create a number of green jobs. It also calls on the Government to treat waste as a resource and "grasp the nettle and change the way we view waste". The Lords Committee slammed the Government over its waste policy. It said: "There is a lack of a clear lead within Government, with responsibilities spread across several Government departments, and inadequate coordination and cohesion. "We therefore recommend that a Minister in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is given responsibility for the development of a waste-based, high value bioeconomy. The Minister should be a champion for waste as a resource and should coordinate activities across Government. "He or she should ensure that a long-term plan, with at least a 15 year horizon, is produced in order to support the development of a high value waste-based bioeconomy." It also heard evidence that access to waste resources must be improved. It argued that waste should be collected and treated in a way "that maximises its value as a resource". The Lords Committee also urged the Government "to look again at its incentives for certain sectors in this field and not others, and work to make sure the market is not distorted". It advocated that the Government needs to reduce the amounts of waste that are exported. It's estimated that the UK could produce 150,000 tonnes of bioethanol with the waste it exported in 2012. Lords call on Government to create 'waste champion' Working Group to publish TEEP 'routemap' A working group comprising members of local authority waste networks, coordinated through the Waste Network Chairs, which includes the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) and the Association of Directors of Environment Planning and Transportation (ADEPT), the London Waste and Recycling Board (LWARB), and the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), are to publish a recycling collection 'routemap' for local authorities this month. The 'Routemap to Understanding the requirements of the Waste Regulations 2011 (amended 2012)' is being developed in association with environmental consultancy Eunomia Research and Consulting to help local authorities understand what recycling services they are legally obligated to provide under waste laws. Under the amended EU Waste Framework Directive, local authorities and businesses must be offered the opportunity to have recyclable metal, paper, plastic and glass collected separately from January 2015. The Working Group has identified a need for information to be available to local authorities on regulations relevant to separate collection, the key questions and issues authorities should consider when assessing whether or not their service meets these requirements and where it is necessary in demonstrating TEEP (Technically, Environmentally and Economically Practicable). The routemap is currently being developed and the Working Group has appointed Eunomia Consulting to assist with its preparation. The work is being funded by the LWARB and the waste networks. It is intended that it will be available by early April. A representative for the Work Group said: "The routemap is about giving local authorities the tools to make their own decision and help signpost them through the Regulations. It is being developed as a resource for local authorities and is not guidance. Ultimately each local authority will need to determine its own compliance with the Regulations. The Working Group has announced this ... as we are aware that local authorities are considering the implications of the Regulations on their services and we want to make them aware that the routemap will be available to them [this month]." Elsewhere, the waste sector trade body the Environmental Services Association (ESA) has issued an information note to its members warning that the Waste Framework Directive also applies to commercial waste collections and that customers will need to be offered the opportunity to have their recyclable material collected separately – except where it is not TEEP. To read the full stories go to www.edie.net/waste

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