Home > Press releases > 2002
26 Nov 2002
Joan Ruddock MP is to introduce a new Bill to Parliament [1] to ensure
that every household is supplied with a doorstep recycling service,
Friends of the Earth announced today. The Labour MP for Lewisham Deptford,
who was drawn fifth in the Private Members Bill ballot, will introduce
the Doorstep Recycling Bill, early next year. Tomorrow (Wednesday) the
Cabinet Office Strategy Unit is expected to publish its review of Government
waste policy.
The UK has one of the worst recycling records in Europe [2], recycling
only around 11 per cent of domestic waste. Austria, on the other hand,
recycles 64 per cent. The current waste strategy is unambitious, aiming
for 30 per cent of domestic waste to be recycled by 2010. Friends of
the Earth is calling for that target to be raised to 50 per cent.
Under new EU legislation the UK must ensure that less than a third of
domestic waste goes to landfill by 2020. At present it’s around
81 per cent. But, assuming the UK meets its recycling target and complies
with EU legislation, the UK will still have a large quantity of waste
that won’t be recycled, and can’t be landfilled. It had been
thought that this shortfall would be met through incineration, but this
‘solution’ has proved deeply unpopular with communities across
the country. Concerned with threats to health and damage to the environment,
many are now fighting proposals to build new incinerators.
The Government has commissioned a review of its waste strategy by the
Cabinet Office Strategy Unit. The results are expected to be announced
on Wednesday 27 November, to coincide with the Chancellor’s Pre-Budget
statement, when he is expected to announce a rise in the landfill tax
and more money for recycling.
Joan Ruddock MP said:
“The UK has one of the worst recycling records in Europe. We
only recycle about 11 per cent of our waste while some
of our European neighbours such as Austria recycle more
than half of theirs. People in my constituency and elsewhere
want to recycle and do their bit for the environment.
By ensuring that every household has a doorstep recycling service
the Doorstep Recycling Bill will make recycling as easy
as putting out the rubbish.”
Friends of the Earth’s recycling campaigner Mike Childs said
“It is crazy that so many valuable resources are
thrown away or burnt when they could be recycled. Successive
governments have acknowledged the need to
dramatically increase the amount we recycle, yet have consistently failed
to deliver. The only way to reach the recycling
levels needed to deal with our waste crisis is through
providing householders with a convenient doorstep recycling
service. We are delighted that Joan Ruddock is sponsoring
this bill, which we hope will command unanimous cross-party support.”
Friends of the Earth is calling for
[1] 383 MPs have backed calls for a doorstep scheme for every household
either by signing a pledge or signing a Parliamentary Motion (EDM 186).
The Doorstep Recycling Bill is also supported by the Community Recycling
Network and Waste Watch.
[2] EU recycling league table
(Source: Environmental Signals 2002 - European Environment
Agency, except where shown).
64% Austria (recycling
24 %/ compost 40 %)
52 % Belgium (37
%/15 %)
48% Germany
*
47 % Netherlands (24%/23%)
39 % Denmark (25%/14%)
33 % Finland (30%3%)
33 % Sweden (25%/8%)
27 % Spain (16%/11%)
16 % Italy (7%/9%)
14 % France (8%/6%)
11 % UK (9%/2%)
9 % Portugal (4%/5%)
8 % Greece (8%/0%)
* 1996 (source:
Resource Recovery Forum Warmer Bulletin). Figures for Ireland and Luxembourg
not available.
[3] Regional household recycling rates in England 2000/01 by region
South East 16.4 % East
15.1% South
West 15 %
E Midlands 13.1 % W
Midlands 9 %
London 8.7 %
North West
7.8 % Yorks/Hum 7.2
% N East
4.1 %
Latest figures for rest of UK: Scotland 6.9% (00/01), Northern
Ireland 5% (98/99), Wales 4.7 % (98/99).
A briefing on the strategy unit ’ s review is available from FOE/ follows. Facts and figures on waste and recycling are also available.
Nine out of ten people in England and Wales would recycle more waste
if it was made easier according to an Environment Agency survey (EA
Press Release 23 May 2002).
Around 80 per cent of household waste could be either recycled or composted,
dramatically reducing the need for landfill
The average household produces around a tonne of waste each year. The
amount of waste produced in the UK is rising by over three per cent
per annum.
In April this year, the Environment Agency warned that space for burying
rubbish in the South East could run out within seven years. Northern
Ireland has already exported some of its household waste to Scotland
for landfill.
Incineration is deeply unpopular. Community groups around the country
are opposing incineration proposals because of concerns about the risk
to health and the environmental impact. Once built, incinerators need
more and more waste, which could otherwise be recycled, to make them
economically viable.
By 2020 the amount of UK municipal waste is set to double (Government
Strategy Unit);
The UK uses over 6 billion glass containers each year, amounting to
over 2 million tonnes. Less than quarter (22 per cent) were recycled
in 1998. The European average is 50 per cent, with some countries recycling
80 per cent. (British Glass)
Up to 90 per cent of new glass could be made from reclaimed scrap glass.
(British Glass).
Recycling aluminium can bring energy savings of up to 95 % and produce
95 % less greenhouse gas emissions than when it is produced from raw
materials. (Alupro)
Around 20,000 tonnes of aluminium foil packaging (worth £8 million)
is wasted each year. Only 3,000 tonnes is recycled.
Packaging is typically 25-35 per cent (by weight) of dustbin waste.
Plastic bags sent to landfill take around 500 years to decay. The UK
uses 500 million of these each week. A tax on plastic bags in Ireland
has resulted in a 90% reduction in their consumption. More than 9 million
euros (£5.73 million) was raised during the first four months of
the scheme. The money will be used to fund new waste management and
other environmental initiatives. The ban was introduced in March this
year. Shoppers are now charged about 10p for each bag they take from
supermarkets and other shopping outlets. Before the legislation was
enacted, an estimated 1.2 billion bags were handed out to Irish shoppers
free of charge each year.
The Government’s Strategy Unit is expected to publish its report
on Britain’s waste crisis on Wednesday. The report’s recommendations
have been widely trailed in the media, with suggestions of rubbish taxes,
plastic bag taxes etc.
This briefing sets out the policy background to the report, forecasts
its likely contents and sets out Friends of the Earth’s recommendations.
Last November Margaret Beckett held a Waste Summit to discuss what
changes were needed to the Government’s one year old Waste Strategy
to ensure that the UK met targets set out in EU legislation, notably
the Landfill Directive.
The possibility that the UK might be fined £500,000 a day was
widely promoted by the Government and discussed in the media. The sub-text
to the day, which Friends of the Earth attended, was concern about the
numerous campaigns across the country against incineration (especially
the South East). It was reported that after the General Election, Tony
Blair told Margaret Beckett that her two priorities were to sort out
farming and waste.
Fear of negative newspaper headlines was therefore a key driver for
the Waste Summit and for the review of the waste strategy (carried out
by the Performance and Innovation Unit, now re-branded as the Strategy
Unit). The Strategy Unit report is expected at the time of the Chancellor’s
pre-budget speech.
This briefing provides background information on the three key issues
the Strategy Unit report has to address; Europe, money and targets.
Links for further information are provided at the end of the briefing.
Waste policy in the UK is almost entirely driven by an EU agenda.
It was an incineration Directive which closed down a large number of
incinerators at the end of 1996. It is the Landfill Directive which
is forcing a revolution in the way the UK deals with its waste. Future
Directives, for example on biodegradable waste, will also have significant
impacts.
The key Directives are:
The Directive also bans the disposal of tyres in landfills. This could lead to mountains of very flammable tyres across the UK, posing huge environmental and health threats. The Department of Trade and Industry is in charge of tyres and has done virtually nothing on this for ten years: if tyre mountains do develop around the UK it will be important that blame is put where it belongs – i.e. not simply on the Environment Department.
Others
In addition to this the European Commission is considering Directives
on household batteries and household hazardous waste. It is producing
a thematic strategy on resources. It will also be looking to deliver
on its Earth Summit commitment to maximise recycling.
In general the Commission is moving away from supporting incineration.
It will be further pushed in this direction because of a recent
‘reasoned opinion’ from the European Court of Justice
which says that incineration is a disposal method not a form of
recovery, even if the incinerator generates energy.
Strategy Unit report was originally due in June. It has been delayed
partly because of protracted wrangling with the Treasury. Research commissioned
by Friends of the Earth suggested that it costs about £17 per household
to provide a separate weekly doorstep collection for dry recyclables
(paper, glass, cans, etc) and biodegradable waste (food, garden waste).
This is equal to around £375 million a year for England and Wales.
There is very little transparency on how much money local authorities
are provided every year for dealing with waste, since it is subsumed
into a general grant. This is one issue which the Strategy Unit will
want to tackle. Friends of the Earth estimates that the annual short-fall
is probably in the region of £200 million. The Government could
find the money without resorting to increasing general taxation.
The options include:
Increasing the Landfill Tax, hypothecating the money to recycling
When the landfill tax was introduced then Chancellor Ken Clarke
reduced employers’ national insurance contributions at the
same time.
Subsequent increases in the tax have only really caught up with a short-fall in revenue. However the Chancellor is under pressure from the waste industry, local authorities and NGOs to substantially increase the tax. During his last budget he said he was minded to increase the tax. He is likely to announce an increase during his pre-budget speech. This could provide substantial revenues. He may also begin consultations on introducing an incineration tax, although this is less likely at this stage.
Again, the waste industry, local authorities and NGOs would be supportive
of this idea, as long as a high quality separate household collection
of recyclable and compostable waste is in place beforehand. The Treasury
is also thought to support this because it could allow a shift over
time to users paying for waste services in their totality, rather than
the Treasury supplementing council tax charges. But Tony Blair is thought
to be more nervous of tabloid headlines.
Blaby District Council has already successfully implemented a form
of this charging with little complaint and cleverly side-stepping regulations
preventing it. This type of charging will be necessary to reach high
levels of recycling.
The Strategy Unit is also likely to suggest the Treasury consider product
taxes (packaging, plastic bags) but is unlikely to suggest resource
taxes (virgin paper, aluminium, etc) at this stage.
The last Government waste strategy was heavily criticised for failing
to set ambitious long-term targets for recycling and composting. This
left the door ajar for applications to build numerous large-scale incinerators.
Time and time again, Environment Minister Michael Meacher has pleaded
for the Government’s recycling targets not to be seen as a “ceiling
on the Government’s recycling ambitions”. But time and time
again local authorities have ignored his
pleading, proposed to do as little recycling as possible, and instead
planned to build a big incinerator. The big incinerator companies have
been willing partners in this, as long as they get 25 year contracts
and a guaranteed supply of waste.
The Strategy Unit must set higher recycling targets for local authorities
if the Government is to have any chance of meeting existing and future
EU directives. It is difficult to see how anything less than 50 per
cent by 2010/2015 could be adequate. Most NGO believe that 50 per cent
by 2010 with a more ambitious target of 75 per cent by 2015 is achievable.
Friends of the Earth and others suggest that society should ultimately
aim for zero waste.
Whatever recycling targets the Strategy Unit suggest they will need
to suggest the least bad option for dealing with residual waste. Friends
of the Earth has helped fund research into this, suggesting that incineration
and untreated waste going to landfill is the worst option. Pre-treatment
of residual waste to remove recyclables such as metals and plastics,
followed by composting the remaining waste appears to be the better
option (with the composted waste going to landfill if necessary).
The Strategy Unit report will need to take account of existing and
future EU directives as it makes its recommendations. This will require
suggesting recycling targets of at least 50 per cent over the next ten
years or so. Money is key, an extra £50 or £100 million just
won’t do the job required. Whether New Labour will be brave enough
to ride a tabloid storm to allow variable charging will be fascinating.
The Strategy Unit will need to rule out large-scale incineration if
it’s report is to get the support of numerous recycling groups
across the country.
On the landfill directive:
www.foe.co.uk/resource/factsheets/eu_landfill_directive.pdf
On the Electronic and electrical goods directive:
www.eeb.org/press/press_release_electro_scrap_11_10_02.htm
On other EU directives:
www.foe.co.uk/resource/factsheets/la_recycling_eu_law.pdf
On plans for a biodegradable waste directive:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/waste/report11.htm
On money needed for recycling:
www.foe.co.uk/resource/factsheets/recycling_local_authority.pdf
On variable charging:
http://www.esauk.org/pub/ernstandyoung.pdf
On how much could be recycled and what to do with the residuals:
www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/maximising_recycling_rates.pdf
For community campaigns against landfill or incineration:
www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/communities_speak_waste.pdf
Contact details:
Friends of the Earth
26-28 Underwood St.
LONDON
N1 7JQ
Tel: 020 7490 1555
Fax: 020 7490 0881
Web: www.foe.co.uk/feedback.html
Media team
