Recycling Waste World
20 May 2010
New government must address critical priorities, says industry
Planning, investment and a clear strategic steer are key priorities for the new UK government when it comes to waste management, said the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) when news broke last week about the Con/Lib coalition government.
“This sector has reached a critical point in its development, making a challenging transition from ‘waste’ to ‘resource’ management, and defining its role within the wider debate about energy, sustainable consumption and production, and climate change,” said a CIWM spokesperson.
CIWM called for the government to address a number of critical priorities.
These include meaningful investment support for new and greener technologies, an efficient and effective planning system capable of delivering critical infrastructure, both in the immediate and the longer term as well as clear, longer term strategies on key behaviour change drivers, including economic instruments and incentives.
Chris Dow, managing director of Closed Loop Recycling also stressed the importance of investment.
He said: “I think the coalition is a good thing for green businesses like ours, but of course that depends on what they manage to deliver.”
“As a UK recycling company, we would hope for continued green investment and more support for our fledgling industry in the way of regulation reform, which would further stimulate the industry,” added Dow.
Omer Kutluoglu, CEO of 2K Manufacturing added: “The combination of the Tories’ focus on commerce with the even-handed approach of the Liberals has the potential to ensure that commerce is once again supported, and that this support is not just confined to Big Business plc.
“I am particularly delighted to see Vince Cable appointed as business secretary and have every faith that he will get the banks back on track.”
David Weaver, group CEO of clean tech company, Ultra Green, pointed out that: “For the UK to really move itself forward as an economic force, the coalition must approach the green agenda with as much vigour as it is currently applying to electoral reform.
“Legislation is stifling our clean tech industry, regulatory obstacles are contradicting themselves and government funding is almost impossible to achieve,” continued Weaver.
Rebecca Eatwell, head of waste and resources at communications consultant, PPS Group, said: “The key headline is a commitment to a “huge increase” in EfW through anaerobic digestion (AD). Whilst this is not surprising, given previous statements by both parties, it is encouraging to see a commitment to EfW at this early stage. The focus on AD and the omission of other forms of EfW is also no surprise, all the major parties shied away from discussing more controversial technologies during the election campaign, with the Lib Dems adopting an anti-incineration (except as a last resort) stance. It will be interesting to see as more details emerge whether this focus on EfW will in reality include other technologies as well.
“Planning Policy is one of the areas in which both parties are relatively well aligned. Both favour a more localised approach to planning and have pledged to abolish the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) in its current form – although not mentioned in the agreement, it is widely expected that the IPC will be merged into the Planning Inspectorate (PINS).
“The coalition is proposing the full establishment of feed-in tariffs as well as maintaining Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs). The Conservatives had advocated scrapping ROCs but, to the delight of many in the industry who feared reaching financial close on projects if the system was abolished, the Lib Dems influence appears to have secured their continuation,” continued Eatwell.
Giles Whiteley from waste management company SWR warned that: “It would be prudent for businesses to brace themselves for continuing fiscal pressures to ‘green-up’,” while the Forum of Private Business said that any drastic cuts to government programmes and initiatives should be balanced out with the need to ameliorate the damage of the recession.
The Forum’s Tax and Budget Member Panel stated that 68% of small businesses feel that the tax burden is already unfair for small employers and 65% said that taxes overall are a serious problem for their business.
And what about incentivising recycling?
PPS Group’ Eatwell pointed out: “No mention [of it] was made in the agreement but with the Tories favouring a rewards based approach and the Lib Dems variable charging, some consensus reaching will be needed. Perhaps the answer will be to support both and allow local councils to choose?
“Full details of emerging policies are still being worked out and we will not know the full implications until the dynamics of the junior ministerial teams are known,” continued Eatwell. “Over the coming weeks, things will become clearer as the final Coalition Agreement is published and following the Queen’s speech on 25 May where firm policies will be outlined.”
http://www.recyclingwasteworld.co.uk/cgi-bin/go.pl/article/article.html?uid=48134;type_uid=49
Written by Adam Browning