LAWR

NEWS August 2014 Local Authority Waste & Recycling 5 FOR MORE NEWS AND ANALYSIS VISIT www.edie.net /waste Councils are less likely to receive a rebate for material sent to mate- rial recovery facilities (MRFs) under contracts signed in 2013/14 com- pared to the previous year, according to a report from WRAP. The report which was published last month suggested that gate fees rose for the sample of 14 MRF contracts signed in 2013 and 2014, with a median gate fee of £0 per tonne compared to an average £10 per tonne rebate for local authorities for new contacts struck in 2011 and 2012. The report notes that the average cost for local authorities to send mixed recyclable materials to MRFs saw a slight increase during 2013/14, with the overall median MRF gate fee paid by councils to facility operators rising to £10 per tonne, up by just £1 from the average gate fee of around £9 during 2012/13. Gate fees are paid either by a local authority to a MRF operator for processing dry recyclables, or a fee paid to a local authority by a MRF operator for the material. According to WRAP, there is a large variance in the level of fees paid by authorities with some paying as much as £96 per tonne for their material to be sorted, while others received rebates of up to £100 per tonne from MRF operators. WRAP claims that the range in gate fees paid by local authorities may be due to a variety of factors including the quality of input materials and the varying prices for the sale of different materials. MRF gate fees increase Industry welcomes EU recycling proposals The waste and resource manage- ment sector has welcomed the European Commission's plans for ambitious recycling targets, claim- ing that it will help Europe work towards a circular economy. Europeans would be asked to recy- cle 70% of household waste by 2030 and banned from sending plastics, paper, metals, glass and food waste to landfill sites by 2025 under pro- posals published by Brussels. The amount of packaging waste recycled will also have to increase to 80% in 2030 with material-spe- cific targets set to gradually increase between 2020 and 2030. LARAC chair Andrew Bird applauded the direction of travel and the level of ambition set out in the proposals. He said that Wales and Scotland had already adopted 70% targets and backed it up with clear policy direction. He added: "If a similar approach was adopted in England there is no reason why local authorities should not be able to get close to the 70% figure. However, it will take invest- ment in services and better joint working across the industry to hit these high levels in the future." Resource Association chief execu- tive Ray Georgeson concurred with Palmer-Jones. He said: "There is con- siderable merit in the Commission's proposals for a 70% municipal recy- cling target and higher targets for packaging materials. "Together with the focus on sepa- rate collection of food waste, the use of an overall indicator and target for resource efficiency, a strong focus on eliminating recyclable wastes from landfill and the emphasis on build- ing a recycling society with greater employment opportunities this is a package that should fire up the ambition of Europe for a more circu- lar economy..." However, Friends of the Earth criticised the proposals. Resource Use campaigner Richard Dyer said: "These proposals are weak and insufficient and don't give a full picture of all the resources Europe consumes, such as the land and water we use to make our products." Alun Davies sacked THE WHEELS ON THE BUS - A double decker bus destined for scrap has been turned into an educational tool by waste container refurbishment firm UKCM. UKCM hopes its bus will teach schoolchildren the value of recycling. Wales's Environment Minister, Alun Davies, has been sacked from his post for "unacceptable behaviour". The 50-year old Labour politi- cian was removed from the Welsh Government's cabinet after asking civil servants for private finan- cial information on rival assembly members. He asked for details of farm subsidies paid to opposition politicians including the Welsh Tory leader, Andrew RT Davies, the Welsh Liberal Democrat chief, Kirsty Williams, and Plaid Cymru's Llyr Huws Gruffydd. The first minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, confirmed Davies' departure in an official written statement. He said that Davies' behaviour was unacceptable. New EU proposals aim to promote a circular economy Alun Davies

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