LAWR

RWM With CiWM 2015 pRevieW Waste as a public utility? Welcome to OfWaste What if waste was viewed as a utility service, much like water or electricity? Ahead of RWM, Iain Gulland argues that the introduction of a market regulator for the sector could not only drive future investment, but change public perceptions for the better elivering the Kit Strange Memorial Lecture earlier in London this year, I stressed the need to continue the professionalisation of the resources industry. I want the industry I've long been a part of to take the lead on high quality recycling, the circular economy and tackling waste crime. Key industry players are stepping out of the old 'waste' coat and into the new 'resources' suit. But with how should the new suit be worn? I've always contended that it should be more than a quick change: a new style more akin to a professional utility. We need to banish the outmoded impressions that householders and businesses still arguably hold towards their waste services. If we are to make that change to being considered a utility sector then I think we need to do something radical. My suggestion is for a market regulator. Let's call it OfWaste – as it could have similar roles to those of Ofcom or Ofgem in their respective industries. I see two clear benefits of this proposal. Firstly, a regulator like OfWaste could drive and coordinate improvement in systems and infrastructure. We can learn much from other utilities. A market regulator could drive investment in the resources 'grid', similar to the electricity grid or the water grid, where we have controlled management and supply of resources within an established and consistent framework. At the moment we leave infrastructure to market forces, risking either overcapacity or not having the right infrastructure where and when we need it. A second benefit is around the expectations that customers would have of the industry. As well as moving the industry forward, OfWaste could help make real inroads in improving the relationship between customer and their service provider. A well- regulated utility will offer transparency in pricing and a consistent standard of performance that all operators would have to achieve. It would also go a long way to excluding illegal operators, and this system would also be able to enforce, for example, the compulsory use of EDOC (Electronic Duty of Care) bringing greater transparency in real time. I think local authorities would also benefit under such a system. I was pleased that Lee Marshall of LARAC said that he saw potential in the idea in a recent magazine article. In particular, I think doing something that 'flicks a switch' in how customers interact with their collections services is really important. Waste collection is a vital and universal service but too often it is undervalued. We should strive to ensure all services are on a par with the best-in-class, underpinned by transparency and a customer service ethos, so they are really valued by the people that use them. Of course, this could happen without a regulator – our voluntary scheme the Scottish Resource Sector Commitment is striving towards these same goals – but might it be achieved sooner and more effectively through a proportionate level of regulation? Few can deny the need for the industry to evolve – through seeing its future in the service sector, rather than being wholly dependent on the value of the material it handles. The transition to the circular economy will see businesses who supply goods retaining the value of the materials and products, rather than simply providing a market price in the hope they can buy them back sometime down the line. Customer service and customer loyalty will be more important through the whole supply chain. This for me is not about regulation for regulation's sake. This is about the maturation of an industry which I have been part of for over two decades, which is fighting to move forward. But it's also about developing a more meaningful customer relationship and moving towards the circular economy we all know is the next big thing. " Waste collection is a vital and universal service but too often it is undervalued " 22 Local Authority Waste & Recycling August 2015 D Iain Gulland is chief executive of Zero Waste Scotland

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