LARAC has expressed its dismay at recent comments that sections of the industry are looking to pursue legal challenges against local authorities in relation to compliance with the upcoming Waste Regulations. Having been a key member of the group that produced the recent Route Map for local authorities, LARAC is keen to see the waste industry work together to ensure local authorities have robust evidence to support their decision on collection systems. LARAC believes the of challenges is at best unhelpful and at worst divisive, meaning local authorities could be forced to waste valuable time and resources on defending challenges instead of providing services to local residents.
Andrew Bird, Chair LARAC, said "The wider industry needs to work with local authorities not against them to help ensure the collection systems in place are compliant and delivering increased material for recycling. It is time to move the debate on from which collection system is best as one size will never fit all and instead focus on the outputs from the collections. As the judicial review showed, challenges waste time and resources and rarely end in a positive outcome for either side."
LARAC is concerned that any challenge will ultimately damage the industry as a whole and heap unnecessary pressure on local authorities at a time when they are grappling with several issues and continued budget cuts. Given that waste could be become an issue in the lead up to next year’s general election LARAC believes that it is more important than ever to work across the industry to keep recycling rates increasing and that any infighting could see the hard won standing of the industry fall.
