England recycling policy not fit for purpose

Waste management systems in England are outdated and no longer fit or purpose, according to a new report.

Resources and renewable energy company Viridor has urged for the country’s waste management systems to be replaced with a new model that takes resource management out of local authority control.

Launched at the Remunicipalisation and Resourceful conferences in London, the paper, ‘Building English Resource Networks: The Aggregated Services Model’ argues that current systems are not representative of the value of resources to the national economy, and should follow the example set by Greater Manchester.

Greater Manchester’s lead reportedly has Europe's largest public/private resource partnership, attracting inward investment from manufacturers and contributing significantly to decentralised energy provision. In April 2009, the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA), which is the largest in England, signed a £3.8-billion, 25-year recycling and waste contract with Viridor Laing (Greater Manchester) Limited (VLGM), which sees the VLGM delivering waste services to nine areas in the region, as well as handling communications and the building of 42 new facilities.

The report highlights the steps needed to be taken to address England’s current flatlining recycling rate of 44.8% and move to a more circular economy.

Viridor claims that England stands at a crossroads where collection and processing systems will need to operate in a more aggregated manner to meet the needs of quality-focused reprocessors and manufacturers.

Resource Networks would see local authorities, business and regulators working at scale to deliver efficiencies in real resource management, as they have the potential to offer fresh impetus for England’s resources policy, aligning with better regulation, productivity and investment agendas across the UK, and taking advantage of an emerging EU circular economy framework.

Chris Jonas, director of business development at Viridor, commented: “Ambitious Resource Networks hold the prospect of boosting British business, building better regulation, improving productivity and creating up to half a million jobs.

“By contrast, retaining outdated policy and systems based on outdated assumptions will do little other than reinforce linear waste management systems that were designed for a bygone era when collections were based on geographic areas and an overall objective of reducing transport and disposal costs.”