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NEWS May 2015 Local Authority Waste & Recycling 5 FOR MORE NEWS AND ANALYSIS VISIT www.edie.net /waste Councils should club together to buy refuse trucks and wheelie bins, according to a new report published by the DCLG. Savings on trucks and bins could be as much as 10% and 35% respectively, according to the 'Household waste collection: procurement savings opportunities' report. This could equate to £70m in savings nationally. The local government sector should also develop a national pipeline through which data on procurement of waste management products could be disseminated, allowing councils to club together and buy in bigger volumes. Local government secretary Eric Pickles said it was time to change "rubbish town hall procurement policies". There was a suggestion that more uniform services should also be developed: "Central and local government should consider any appropriate harmonisation of waste collection goods with a view to reducing product variations and aiding high volume procurement," reads one of the six recommendations. Save £70m by buying bins and trucks together Rising to the challenge of recycling Achieving decent recycling rates in urban areas with high-rise flats has long been a headache. Not any more. New guidance for London's planning community will ensure that new build flats in the capital are designed with recycling and sustainable waste solutions in mind. Under the scheme, developers will be required to complete a pre- application stage, allowing them to demonstrate how waste collection and recycling will be managed from home to plant. The work, commissioned by the London Waste & Recycling Board (LWARB) and the London Environment Directors' Network (LEDNET), aims to tackle the potentially negative impact on recycling rates caused by growth in the population and subsequently the housing stock. London has a target of recycling or composting 50% of household waste by 2020. But with around half of the city's residents currently residing in flats, and another million apartments likely to be built between now and 2036, a new approach is needed – not least to cope with separate collections of food waste. LEDNET project lead Jamie Blake said the seriousness of the problem was highlighted following the submission of "a number of plans for high rise developments with unworkable waste management solutions". The new planning and waste management policy template encourages planners and developers to design recycling, food waste and refuse storage and collection systems in new build properties that will "genuinely help Londoners to recycle more and manage waste more effectively". The ambition is for all London boroughs to adopt the new policy. This will send a "strong message" to the development community that designing recycling and waste management solutions can no longer be an afterthought, said LWARB and LEDNET in a statement. "Boroughs are under increasing pressure to separate out waste for recycling that often cannot be managed in existing flats due to storage issues," said LWARB's chief operating officer, Wayne Hubbard. "We want the development and building community to consider waste and recycling as a utility." Litter strategy England is a "litter-ridden country" compared to most of Europe. In fact, levels of litter have "hardly improved" in the past 12 years and the best estimates suggest that cleaning up costs the taxpayer between £717m and £850m a year. Fast food litter has increased 20% in the past year. These were just some of the facts contained in a report by the Communities and Local Government Committee, which suggested there is "little leadership or coordination of the excellent work of authorities and volunteers" from government. The committee recommended the creation of a national litter strategy for England, with a clear framework for action, underpinned with a coordinating role for local councils within their respective areas. Experts at Eunomia suggested the report didn't go far enough; emphasis should be on manufacturers of frequently-littered items, they said. London's new planning template will improve recycling in flats. SAFETY FIRST – Biffa's municipal division has received a five star award from the British Safety Council (BSC) in recognition of its efforts to improve health and safety at work.

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