As I write this, we’re just days away from the England-wide rollout of food waste in Simpler Recycling legislation. Despite the disappointingly negative narrative led by the media in the last few weeks, three quarters of councils are set to meet the deadline, with more introducing over the course of the next few months, which is an incredible achievement given the delays, challenges and limitations of external factors, like vehicle procurement.
Also, as is typical for March, we’ve seen some great events across the waste and recycling sector. I’ve had the chance to visit the Food Waste Conference in London and the CIWM Wales event in Cardiff. Fantastic to see local authorities represented strongly at both, and great to speak with the various attendees across the whole waste sector.
Policy discussions have developed around Digital Waste Tracking (DWT), the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) period for the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for waste, garden waste, and the classic ‘hard-to-recycle’ items of textiles, vapes and films and flexibles, among others. As discussions develop, and the need for case studies, data and information grows, I encourage all LARAC Members to reach out to us if they want to be part of these discussions or have pressing questions on the topics going forward.
In devolved discussions, I’ve been following developments in Scotland and Wales closely, including the publication of Scotland’s Circular Economy Strategy and ongoing decisions around glass in DRS for Wales. These are areas I’ve been discussing with colleagues across the sector, particularly in terms of how they may impact local authorities on the ground. As always, I’m keen to hear from members, especially those in Wales, on how these changes are landing in practice.
Finally, we’re less than 3 months away from our first national conference of the year! LARAC Scotland preparations are well underway, with more information on venue and speakers to follow in the coming weeks. But all Scottish members should have 10 June pencilled into their calendar, and those who would be travelling more than 2 hours should get in touch to find out about how we can support with accommodation!
