Waste Regulations Route Map Broadly Welcomed

The ‘Waste Regulations Route Map’ has been published in the UK by a working group comprising members of local authority waste networks (coordinated through the Waste Network Chairs), the London Waste and Recycling Board (LWARB), and the Waste Resource Action Programme (WRAP). LWARB explained that the new Route Map is a support tool to help local authorities assess their compliance with regulations, with the aim of helping them navigate their obligations from January 2015. The Route Map provides important information on the regulations relevant to separate collections of recyclable waste. However, LWARB noted that the document is not guidance, but addresses key questions that local authorities will need to consider when determining whether or not their service meets these requirements and, where necessary, in assessing Technically, Environmentally and Economically Practicable (TEEP). The Working Group appointed environmental consultancy, Eunomia Research and Consulting to assist with the preparation of Map and its development has been funded by LWARB and the waste networks. “The implications for the UK waste and resources sector of the Waste Framework Directive and the related UK Regulations are significant and pressing yet remain poorly understood,” explained James Fulford, director of Eunomia. “With statutory guidance no longer expected, various local authority representative organisations stepped into the breach to commission Eunomia to prepare the Waste Regulations Route Map,” he added. Peer reviewed As part of its development the Route Map was peer reviewed by 20 English local authorities. LWARB explained that the authorities attended as ambassadors for their authority type, and represented the broad mix of current service provision and authority type, as well being a mix of urban and rural authorities. The review tested whether authorities understood the implications of the regulations and how they would apply the Route Map to their own service. The Route Map was said to have been significantly shaped by the review process. “It is a critical tool for local authorities, particularly those in a dense urban environment such as London, where space for recycling can be an issue,” commented Wayne Hubbard, Chief Operating Officer of the London Waste and Recycling Board. “Local authorities will be able to use the Route Map to help them determine the best local solution that meets the requirements of the Regulations,” he continued. Chair of the Working Group, Lyn Carpenter, executive director environment of the leisure and residents services department at the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham and Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea added: “The Route Map gives local authorities the tools to make their own decision regarding their obligations under the Waste Regulations from January 2015.” “It provides an approach that can be used by any local authority and should help individual authorities avoid ‘reinventing the wheel’ in having to develop their own approach,” explained Carpenter. Industry reaction Steve Lee, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management (CIWM) commented: “In the absence of official Defra guidance, this ‘routemap’ could be a useful support tool for local authorities when assessing whether their collection arrangements satisfy the legal requirements and to assist with future decision-making.” According to Lee it offers the opportunity for local authorities to carry out their assessments in a consistent way that will stand up to scrutiny, and a common framework for those who wish to work together and share approaches. “Waste collection and recycling is going through a period of change and uncertainty and it is unusual for support of this kind not to come from Government, given the strategic importance of the issues involved and the potentially far reaching consequences,” he said. “In moving forward, it is important that we work as collaboratively as possible, ensure that the good work of councils and the industry in the last decade is not undermined, and maintain the public’s confidence in recycling,” continued Lee. “CIWM will now be consulting with its members on the Route Map to explore the implications of the regulations more fully in the light of practical application and experience,” he concluded The Route Map is being hosted on WRAP’s website and can be downloaded HERE Read More VIDEO: Huge Fire Destroys Chemical Recycling Facility in Leeds, UK An investigation into a huge fire which was tackled by over 100 firefighters at a chemical recycling facility in Leeds, UK is underway. 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