LARAC has welcomed the release of the government consultations on EPR, DRS and consistency and applauded DEFRA for ensuring that they run for a full 12 weeks. LARAC believes having a full consultation period is vital and wrote to DEFRA in January to lobby for this to take place, a move then supported by others in the industry.
A new tool is being developed to help local authorities in England understand and quantify the impact of emerging waste policy upon recycling and waste management services.
The Resources & Waste Policy Impact Calculator is being developed by Anthesis Group, the sustainability services and solutions provider, and SUEZ, together with support from LARAC, Project Integra and the Kent Resource Partnership.
A joint study by Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of Greenwich has suggested that separate waste containers such as bags or boxes may cause “long-term musculoskeletal disorders” to collection workers.
The study used a GCU-developed body-mapping method to study the effects of lifting various types of waste containers by workers across a four-year period in an unnamed local authority.
Kent county council has moved forward with plans to introduce charges for ‘non-household waste’ at all 16 of its Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) across the county.
The decision follows a consultation where around 80% of the near 3,000 respondents disagreed with the proposals, mainly expressing concerns about increased fly tipping.
On 27th December Defra announced the first consultation of the raft we are expecting as a result of the Resources and Waste Strategy released only the week before.
The purpose of the consultation is to find out what we all think about the plans to extend the single-use carrier bag charge to all retailers, and not just the larger ones, as it stands. Defra is also considering increasing the charge per bag to 10p.