Simpler collections and tougher regulation: Waste system reform

Abi Ademiluyi, APSE Principal Advisor, provides an outline of the changes, and looks at the impact on local authorities.

On the 21st of October 2023 the Government announced further reforms to household and business bin collections with a further crackdown on unscrupulous waste carriers also announced. The Government suggests such changes will boost recycling rates and protect the environment.

Measures announced include:

A simpler approach to recycling - people across England will be able to recycle the same materials, putting an end to confusion over what can and can’t be recycled in different parts of the country.

Simplify collections - ensure that waste collectors will be able to collect dry recyclables together, in the same bin or bag, and collect organic waste together, reducing the number of bins required.

Weekly collections of food waste - introduced for most households across England by 2026. The government suggests that this move will stop a trend towards three- or four-weekly bin collections seen in some local authorities across the UK.

Clamp down on untrustworthy waste operators - ensure that waste ends up where it’s supposed to be. Increase background checks for firms who move or trade waste, making it harder for rogue operators to find work and easier for regulators to act against criminals.

Build on wider efforts to increase recycling and reduce waste - New restrictions on single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, expanded and extruded polystyrene food and drinks containers came into force on 1 October. The Government are also moving forward with the implementation of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes for packaging - boosting recycling and clamping down on plastic pollution and litter.

The APSE view

APSE welcomes the new announcements. The simpler recycling statement is a step forward to improving the quantity and quality of materials that are collected. The announcements should help to make planning and waste operations more efficient for local authorities, packaging producers, and waste managers.

However, there remains uncertainty on several key areas of policy. The Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland - now effectively suspended - demonstrates practical difficulties which are faced in implementing wide-scale changes. Similarly, the Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations (EPR) for packaging fees have been deferred for one year. This has led to retail groups complaining that proposed regulations for EPR are unclear and do not explain how the scheme administrator would allocate fees.

Some industry analysts have argued that if EPR proves to be a success, then DRS for drinks containers might become unnecessary because of improved recycling rates and consistency in collections. From a local authority perspective, there are concerns that the EPR scheme administrator would have powers to withhold payments from local authorities based on performance and issue them improvement notices. This appears to be a significant leap in regulatory powers for the scheme administrator, given the original purpose of EPR was to ensure the cost of packaging, within the waste stream, was to transfer from councils to producers.

Therefore, whilst overall the announcements provide some level of certainty, major policy areas of DRS and EPR are still creating concerns amongst local authorities. Whilst local councils support all endeavours to reduce waste and improve recycling, resources do not always follow need. The local authority waste sector has faced its own pressures with fuel inflation, labour cost increases and workforce shortages.

Finally, APSE rejects the arguments made by the Government that changes to three and four weekly collections should be discouraged. This is not borne out by the evidence which suggests that such measures can help to minimise residual waste and improve recycling. Moreover, this can prove to be a very efficient way of organising collections. This is supported by data and analysis provided through APSE’s performance networks service for waste and recycling.

With the right support, local authorities will be able to supply solutions that increase recycling rates. However, long-term decisions on improving services for residents and moving towards net zero need to be supported through well-thought regulatory measures that recognise the core role of local authority waste and recycling services.