- Government have today published further details on Simpler Recycling, for England;
- The REA welcomes the further clarity over the requirements which will enable local authorities and industry to progress with implementation;
- Communication of the requirements is key, and this is acknowledged. REA calls on Treasury to fund public behaviour change campaigns to encourage consumers to use food and garden waste collections in the best possible way;
- REA has concerns over the residual waste collection frequency adopted and lack of funding for liners.
The REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology) welcomes today’s publication of the government’s consultation response on Simpler Recycling.
The response includes the confirmation that co-collection of food and garden waste in one bin will be allowed without the need for a written assessment. It also provides further details on the statutory guidance.
REA calls on Treasury to fund public behaviour change campaigns to encourage consumers to use food and garden waste collections in the best possible way, using ringfenced funding from the £100million resource funding already committed to.
Jenny Grant, Head of Organics and Natural Capital at the REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology), said:
“The REA welcomes the Government’s post-consultation response on Simpler Recycling with further clarity on the requirements, enabling industry to make progress towards implementation.
“The success of these reforms, in part, relies on citizens understanding their collections and putting the right materials in the correct bins. It is welcome that Government have recognised this, and we look forward to the public facing communications. It is essential that adequate funding is provided to drive effective behaviour change.
“Treating food and garden wastes by organically recycling them is essential in the fight against climate change. We welcome the proposals that Local Authorities can choose to co-collect food and garden waste together without the need for a written assessment as it gives flexibility and enables them to choose the most effective system for their area.
“With the requirement for weekly food waste collections and the removal of putrescible waste, it is difficult to understand the reasoning behind the requirement for residual waste to be collected at least fortnightly, or preferably more frequently. Local authorities should be free to choose the frequency of residual waste collections that will drive high performing recycling collections.
“It is also disappointing that Defra have no plans to fund Local Authorities to provide caddy liners for food waste collections, not even at least where food waste (whether or not co-collected with garden waste) goes to in-vessel composting, where it’s important that liner types used are certified industrially compostable ones.”