Friday 3rd December 2010
End Use Register Bill introduced to Parliament
The CRR calls for clearer terminology in describing collection methods and materials.
On Tuesday this week Peter Bottomley MP (Con, Worthing West) presented the Waste Recycling (End Use Register) Bill and laid it down as an Early Day Motion for signature. There was cross-party support from co-sponsors Clive Efford (Lab, Eltham), Don Foster (LibDem, Bath) and Caroline Lucas (Green, Brighton Pavilion). This coincided with a Campaign for Real Recycling House of Commons reception hosted by Jessica Morden MP (Lab, Newport East) and sponsored by May Gurney plc, attended by a large number of MPs interested in the quality of their local recycilng provision.
The proposal is to place a simple, statutory duty upon all local authorities (Collection Authorities and Disposal) to put in place an End Use Register of Recycling Destinations. This should detail what materials are collected for recycling and their End Destinations. It would be mandatory for all councils to publish such a Register, and update it on perhaps a six monthly or annual basis.
Peter Bottomley MP, presenting the Bill said: “If this Bill becomes an Act, it will have a positive and tightening effect on the drive for quality and transparency in the UK recycling collection system, and it will certainly improve public confidence and participation in recycling. Improving quality of recycling material will mean more UK reprocessing of materials and more green jobs generally.”
Jessica Morden MP said: “Local authorities are meant to be able to identify what happens to materials collected by them or their contractors as part of a general approach to Duty of Care but some cannot categorically state where their recycling goes to, or in the worst cases even if it is recycled at all. Stories about recyclable materials that end up in landfill and sometimes outside the UK are damaging to public confidence in recycling.”
Nicola Peake of May Gurney added: "Keeping tabs on destinations is something authorities should be doing anyway and for those that are, publishing a register will not be a burden. A good practice example is Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP), which was the first to publish such a register and makes it available on its website, encouraging Somerset householders to find out more about what actually happens to their recycling."
Picture shows (left to right) Simon Weston (Smurfit Kappa), Steve Sears (May Gurney), Peter Bottomley MP, Jessica Morden MP, Mal Williams (CRR Chair), Andy Doran (Novelis), Ray Georgeson (RG Resources), Stuart Andrew MP (Lab, Pudsey), Worku Lakew (THCRC).
Information for Editors:
Somerset Waste Partnership End Use Register can be found at:
http://www.recyclesomerset.info/pdf/SWP%20Recycling%20End-uses%202008-2009.pdf?ID=209
EDM Wording:
Waste Recycling (End Use Register) Bill
That this House is concerned at what happens to some materials that are collected for recycling by local authorities; welcomes the initiative of Somerset Waste Partnership in publishing a register of the 'end use' of all recycled materials; believes that such a move will increase public confidence in recycling and therefore help to increase the amount of materials recycled and so supports the Waste Recycling (End Use Register) Bill introduced in the last session by the Hon member for Worthing West and hopes it will become law in this session.
The Bill is EDM1101 in the current session. It was previously EDM75 and was introduced by David Drew (Lab, Stroud) in November 09.
Bill Draft Text:
Waste Recycling (End Use Register) Bill
Bill to
Require certain authorities to maintain a register of the destination of recycled materials; and for connected purposes.
BE IT ENACTED by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
- Duty to maintain a register
- It shall be the duty of every waste collection and waste disposal authority in England to keep and maintain an up to date end use register of all products that have been collected or disposed of by the authority for recycling.
- An end use register is a register of the destination and use of recycled products.
- An end use register must be available for public inspection at all reasonable hours either
- At the offices of the authority or
- By being on the web site of the authority.
- Short title commencement and extent
- This Act may be cited as the Waste Recycling (End Use Register) Act 2010
- This Act extends to England and Wales
- This Act shall come into force forthwith.
The Campaign for Real Recycling wants central government and local authorities to act urgently to improve the quality of materials collected for recycling in the UK. Real recycling is about maximising the economic, environmental and social benefits of recycling for everyone, from the local council tax payer to the global re-processing industry. Our concern is that collection systems that gather a range of different materials in one bag or bin and then compact them could permanently undermine the environmental and financial benefits of recycling. Our campaign aims to influence local authority policy and practice, and build consensus within the UK of the economic and environmental importance of highly separated collections.
CRR Stakeholders and Supporters:
Andy Moore
Campaign for Real Recycling
07767 206 001
|
