As I write this month’s blog, the sun’s out, the temperature is nearing 20 degrees, and Simpler Recycling is on the cusp on being introduced for England. We heard rumours this day would come, but I’m not sure many of us believed it. It must finally be spring 2025!
March has been a busy month, and whilst “policy” has very much been on the global agenda since the start of the year, it would take more than a blog post to cover that, so we will stick to UK waste and recycling for now.
Firstly, I want to highlight how positive stakeholder engagement has been, so far, this year. LARAC is now holding frequent one-to-ones with both DEFRA and the Environment Agency (EA), primarily on Simpler Recycling, but also on other key topics including development of an FAQ document for Simpler Recycling and discussions around future changes to the Carrier, Broker, Dealer (CBD) system. More information on those to come in the next few weeks and months. Whilst it’s fair to say there has been pain (for local authorities and the regulators) over the last few years in getting to this point, it feels as though we can now truly work together in moving from policy design to actual implementation of the reforms.
The prize of first consultation (since January, anyway), or rather a call for evidence, goes to Scottish Government with its changes to waste management services. An interesting first step into looking at possible changes to kerbside food waste collections in the country, and perhaps more interestingly kerbside collection of textiles. One we will be exploring in detail with our Scottish members and, hopefully, Scottish Government. Also, one that I’ve no doubt the rest of the UK will keep a close eye on to see how it develops.
LARAC’s conference planning is well underway, and before we know it, it will be the start of May, and we will be up in Glasgow for the first national conference of the year. The number of ideas for topics, speakers and workshops for this year’s events and webinars is truly impressive and shows just how much work is going on ahead of the ever-growing list of regulatory reforms.
The good weather has also coincided with the opportunity to get out and about. March has seen events in London on food waste, WEEE and a cameo panel appearance at the Energy from Waste (EfW) conference. Additionally, a brilliant event with the scholars at Sweeep Kuusakoski in Kent (big thanks to Ecogenesys, formerly REPIC, for organising) was a great chance to see WEEE recycling in action – with similar events coming up in Huddersfield and Telford over the next couple of months.
So, what’s next? Simpler Recycling – done. Well, no, not really, it’s only just begun. We will have updates shortly from our next set of meetings with DEFRA and the EA, more events and information on the conferences. Oh, and more sunshine, please!
