We are now into February, just two months away from the first definitive steps to implementing Simpler Recycling in England, but what has 2025 brought us so far?
For better or worse, Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) looks set to happen from October 2027, in England and Northern Ireland at least, with the legislation having been passed in late January. How the ‘UK-wide’ aspect will marry up with Scotland, who look set to be in the courts for the scheme that failed in 2023, and in Wales, where we await news on the plans and how it will work with the internal markets, remain to be seen.
Digital Waste Tracking (DWT), at the time of writing, is due to be introduced from April this year. A delay seems inevitable, or unavoidable, given the radio silence on all fronts relating to the policy and how it works, but it remains to be seen how this will play out.
Strangely, word around Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has been quiet since the turn of the new year, particularly noticeable after the flurry of information from DEFRA in late 2024. We are also still awaiting news from other administrations, particularly the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland, on their Rethinking Our Resources proposals from last summer. We would stress again for these departments to provide updates on these as soon as possible, and not to underestimate the huge impact the proposed changes are going to have, not just on local authorities, but across the whole waste sector.
Meanwhile, back at LARAC, planning has well and truly begun on the national and UK conferences for later in the year. LARAC will be speaking at the Recycle NI & CIWM waste management event in Belfast in May. We will also be making our way to LARAC Scotland in May, LARAC Wales in July, and LARAC’s UK conference in Birmingham in October. With all the changes coming in, and due to come in across the sector, each will be an event not to be missed!
In mid-January, I got to see the new re-use shop at the Tattershall Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC) in Lincolnshire. A rural part of the countryside, but one with a modern and spacious council-owned centre, and a small store cordoned off on entry to capture the salvageable and sellable items. Even on a weekday morning, the steady stream of people bringing a variety of items in – from plates to toys – and then going away with lawnmowers and framed paintings, was impressive. As were the Typhoons scrabbled from the nearby RAF bases going over every few minutes. Fingers crossed both Lincolnshire County Council, and other authorities, see the success and value and can replicate this at other sites across the UK.
So, as we continue towards the reforms finally coming in, it will be interesting to see what the next month will bring!
