Local authorities are being urged to ‘hold their nerve’ and continue to invest in recycling services, despite the sharp fall in the market for recycled materials.
Environment Agency chairman, Lord Chris Smith, said councils which have recently decided to discontinue some of their recycling services should take a long-term view. They should ‘identify new domestic markets for recycled materials and prevent a drop in support for recycling among residents’.
Since the EA put out new guidance on storing recyclable materials in November, three local authorities have applied to stockpile waste that cannot be profitably recycled.
Speaking to the Aldersgate Group – a coalition of environmentally-aware businesses and NGOs – last week, Lord Smith said local authorities must ‘do the right thing for the environment, despite the economic crisis’. He said: ‘There can be no return to the bad old days of sending too much waste to landfill. So, it’s vital that this economic slowdown does not jeopardise public confidence in recycling, particularly with Christmas approaching – which is always a crunch time for waste collection and recycling.’
However, Paul Bettison, chairman of the Local Government Association’s environment board, said Lord Smith’s comments were ‘unhelpful and untrue’. ‘Councils are already “holding their nerve” and providing a range of recycling services, despite the economic slowdown,’ he said.
There needs to be increased investment in infrastructure to treat recyclable materials in the UK as part of a long-term strategy, Lord Smith added. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) said there was still capacity and demand for high-quality materials such as plastic bottles and glass, despite a drop in demand for some lower-quality recycled materials.
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