| Topic: | Re:Enforcement | |
| Posted by: | Philippa Bond | |
| Date/Time: | 21/12/06 13:04:00 |
From Let's Recycle where there is a lot of information on what is going on eg the new recycling league tables (Ealing did not make its target). Move to pay-as-you-throw on waste "unstoppable" (12.12.06) Local authority officers now see the move towards new charging systems for household waste as "unstoppable" – with only a matter of time before residents pay for the collection of waste they do not recycle. Although the Sir Michael Lyons review on council funding has now been delayed until April – potentially limiting what the new English waste strategy can say on the subject – recycling officers believe variable charging is now "looming on the horizon". The unstoppable juggernaut that is variable charging is slowly accelerating down the waste highway. - Lee Marshall, LARAC In its annual report issued last week, the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee said variable charging – sometimes known as "pay as you throw" – would not be the "magic spanner" to fix every problem in recycling. But LARAC chairman Lee Marshall said it "should be used in the most appropriate manner, alongside well-designed well-designed and implemented schemes coupled with good education and communication." Commenting as the government reviews the long-term English waste strategy for an expected publication in March next year, Mr Marshall said: "The unstoppable juggernaut that is variable charging is slowly accelerating down the waste highway. It still has a long way to go before it hits maximum speed, but we can all see it looming on the horizon." Urgency The move towards variable charging is being prompted by a "growing sense of urgency and concern" among officers about landfill targets despite some districts and counties now recycling more than half of their waste. The LARAC chairman said officers are now saying if planning applications for major recycling and waste recovery facilities have not been submitted by now, "you will miss the 2010 target" under Europe's Landfill Directive. This, he suggested, meant there was a need for a "plan B" on household waste. Mr Marshall, who is also a recycling officer at Powys county council, urged LARAC's 400-plus recycling officer members not to "get hung up" on issues like increased fly-tipping or administration difficulties with regard to variable charging. He said: "There are certainly problems, but they can be overcome, especially if the energies expended in highlighting them are used to solve them." Environment secretary David Miliband has already revealed his interest in variable charging as it is investigated by government advisor Sir Michael Lyons (see letsrecycle.com story). Related links: LARAC The Lyons review was extended last week until the Budget next April, in order for Sir Michael Lyons to take account of points raised by other policy reviews including the Barker review on planning. Noting the negative stories in the national media this autumn concerning council waste policies, Mr Marshall advised officers to maintain a "whiter than white" approach to recycling, making sure audit trails are correct, services are customer-friendly and recyclable materials are not being sent "to somewhere they shouldn't go". |