The Government's Resources & Waste Strategy for England launched at Veolia's advanced Southwark Integrated Waste Management Facility provides a blueprint for the future of the sector.
Critically for business it sets out for the first time a financial imperative for companies to prioritise waste prevention through sustainable design, use more secondary materials and support efficient resource recovery.
Our role is to help you make this happen. We can offer advice on improving your recycling performance, help you redesign your packaging and consider alternatives to virgin plastic in light of the proposed Single Use Plastics Tax.
See how we can help you tackle your Resource and Waste challenges below:
Download our report, plan for plastics, to discover our suggested three-step approach to boost plastic recycling.
1. Become a Zero Avoidable Waste Economy by 2050
The Government's overall goal is to target waste streams that are currently unrecyclable by either developing solutions or phasing these wastes out.
We will work with you to identify and understand how your challenging waste types are produced and what is the best use for them in the future. Whether this be to produce feedstock for other industries, generate energy or minimise usage at source we will ensure our innovative approach gives the best result for you and the environment.
2. Phase out Avoidable Plastic Waste by 2042
Plastic bottles are highly recyclable, yet 40% (13 billion) of these items aren't reaching recycling centres within the UK. We believe the problem needs to be tackled in two ways.
- Firstly, by simplifying recycling for the general public through the introduction of clearer labelling and a deposit-return scheme (DRS)
- Secondly, through ensuring manufacturers standardise plastic packaging and increase recycled content to ensure all items can be recycled
- Our research demonstrates that 93% of people expect recycled content to be in plastic products. Are your plastic products recyclable?
3. Stopping food waste going to landfill by 2030
We have grown a significant food waste service across the UK to not just minimise waste, but to turn this waste into valuable resources. We work with many organisations with food waste to recover energy and produce sustainable peat free compost and fertilisers through an innovative process.
We operate the largest biogas to grid plan in the UK in North Yorkshire with a total capacity of 80,000 tpa. Our state of the art depackaging plant in Sheffield also converts heavily packaged food waste into a renewable fuel which feeds several anaerobic digestion plants.
4. New Targets for Waste & Recycling
Over the next 5 years we propose to invest £1 billion into new recycling infrastructure. This will include new sorting centres, composting and AD facilities and energy recovery plants to help meet new waste and recycling targets.
This infrastructure will help businesses play their part in reducing carbon emissions and ultimately deliver higher standards of environmental performance across the UK.
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- The introduction of extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging will see business and industry pay the full net cost of recycling or disposing of their packaging waste - up from 10% now.
- EPR will include a review of producer responsibility schemes for items that can be harder or costly to recycle including cars, electrical goods and batteries. Extending EPR to textiles, fishing gear, tyres, certain materials from construction and demolition and bulky waste such as mattresses, furniture and carpets will also be explored.
- Mandatory weekly separate collections of food waste for every household, subject to consultation.
- A Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will be brought in, subject to consultation, to increase the recycling 'on the go' of single-use drinks containers, including bottles, cans and disposable cups filled at the point of sale.
- To increase recycling, a consistent set of recyclable materials collected from businesses and households will be instigated on a national basis together with consistent labelling on packaging.
- Mandatory guarantees and extended warranties on products to encourage manufacturers to design products that last longer and drive up the levels of repair and reuse will be introduced.
- Annual reporting of food surplus and waste by food businesses will be laid down. If progress is insufficient consultation will start on introducing mandatory targets for food waste prevention.
- Compulsory tracking of e-waste to clamp down illegal movements at home and abroad with tougher penalties for rogue crime operators will help protect legitimate companies.