LAWR

BRIEFING 6 Local Authority Waste & Recycling December 2014 fter years of lobbying by ESA, the Government finally launched the much anticipated MRF Regulations at the beginning of 2014 (they were laid before Parliament on 11 February 2014). Inevitably, the Regulations strike a balance between robustness and practicability, with the focus rightly on quality management and accurately monitoring what comes in to and goes out of a MRF. The regulations took effect from 1 October 2014 in England and Wales, with the first quarter for sampling commencing at the same time. ESA has stressed the importance of the need for the regulations to be properly enforced, with inspections and analysis of quarterly reports by the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales (NRW). Those hoping to draw definite conclusions from the first set of data in spring 2015 should, however, be aware that not much can be said for certain until at least a few quarters, taking into account sea- sonality etc. 'The Pickles pickle' The recycling collection debate also continues, both in terms of method and frequency (i.e. the 'Pickles pickle'). ESA has previously said that each recycling collection system has its own merits and there is no 'one-size-fits-all' solution for all local authorities. Defra made clear early in 2014 that they would provide no formal guidance on the separate collection requirement coming into force in January 2015. This spurred a flurry of informal guidance, but also formal documents from the Welsh Government and, somewhat surprisingly, the EA. However, despite all these documents, many questions are still left unanswered, promising more debate in 2015. The much awaited European Commission Circular Economy package was launched in July, following a mysteri- ously leaked version from former Environment Commissioner, Janez Potocnik. The new Commissioner, Karmenu Vella , is now in place, and only time will tell whether he will continue the same laudably ambitious path as Potocnik, or whether he will let the growth and jobs agenda mistakenly water down the package. What is certain is that we need long term vision from both the Commission and the UK Government to drive the development of the circular economy forward. Over in Scotland, the new Waste Regulations kicked in from January 2014, with a separate collection requirement for dry recyclables and mandatory food waste collections for most businesses, the result of which deserves attention. Equally ambitious, the Welsh Environment Bill consultation deadline ended mid January, the outcome of which is still to be presented. 2014 has also seen biowaste getting proper attention – espe- cially food waste, the growth of the AD sector and quality (with the WT BREF lurking in the background) – this year. ESA launched its first biowaste strategy at the RWM exhibi- tion, focusing on the need for quality to drive organic waste out of landfills and into organics recycling. The Commission also hinted at a pause for End of Waste at the beginning of the year, including for compost and diges- tate, but is now likely to present legislative proposals on the revised Fertiliser Regulation at the beginning of 2015, which is a worry for the UK given the mismatch with our existing national PAS/QPs. Waste crime Finally, significant attention has been given to waste crime and waste fires in 2014. At the beginning of the year, Eunomia and the Environmental Services Association Education Trust (ESAET) produced a report into waste crime in Britain. Industry worked closely with the authors to send a strong message to Government that the EA needs more funding to be able to tackle this issue, and the Government later announced an extra £5m to help fight crime within the sector. And to tackle the surge in waste fires, the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) forum launched its guidance on reducing fire risk at waste management sites. In summary, 2014 has been an interesting, but frustrating, year as the ambition and willingness among stakeholders to engage - exemplified in numerous stakeholder partnerships - is not matched by actions from the Government. What is needed in the next year is for the Circular Economy pack- age to be carried forward and to turn the trend on flatlining recycling. It will certainly be an exciting year in 2015, with Parliamentary and local elections, and the continuing discus- sions of the above issues, which should throw up great oppor- tunities not to be missed. A Review of the resource management year Despite the UK Government taking a "step back", the past year has played out a number of important policy developments. Here, Jakob Rindegren, recycling policy advisor at the Environmental Services Association (ESA), reviews a selection of these developments and what they mean for the sector in 2015. Jakob Rindegren is recycling policy advisor at the Environmental Services Association.

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