As we head into winter, there’s no sign of any slow down in the sector. In fact, whilst historically we have seen September as ‘conference season’, November is set to throw a number of interesting events our way!
Firstly, October saw LARAC’s UK conference take place in Birmingham. This was my first time at the full UK event, and it was a fantastic experience with 500 or more delegates in attendance, excellent presentations throughout the two days, and probably the most engaging setup for exhibitors I have seen at an event. A huge congratulations to the winners and nominees at the award night!
Back to the day job, and the world of policy has been a mixed bag in the last month. Whilst we have seen the positive news that single-use vapes will be banned in England next summer, the draft Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) released by DEFRA, and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging regulations laid in parliament, we have seen frustrating delays to announcements and forums relating to the Collection and Packaging Reforms. Whilst we have received verbal assurance from DEFRA that exemptions for Simpler Recycling in England will be introduced in time, there is obvious concern from local authorities that this hasn’t been communicated from the regulators themselves, particularly with less than 5 months to go until these policies begin!
A highly publicised BBC News article also caused rumblings, with it seeming to point fingers at the sector for its use of Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities to treat residual waste, painting a picture that it was a choice rather than a solution to material that lacks viable alternatives. You can see LARAC’s response to this in the press release here.
Personally, October gave me the chance to join the Civil Service College in London for a course, ‘how does parliament really work?’. A fascinating day that enabled some fascinating discussion with someone who had very much been at the forefront of policy development in UK government.
November is set to be busier still, with the MRF Conference on the 7th, Health and Safety conference on the 14th ,(limited free places still available for LARAC Members!), Collection Conference on the 21st, and RDF Conference on the 28th. I also have a site visit planned to an EfW facility mixed in for good measure. We have also been promised the indicative LA EPR fees this month, and with two DEFRA forums in the diary, it will be interesting to see how policy develops as the clock ticks continues to tick down to April 2025!
