Municipal waste strategy and procurement specialists WRM take the opportunity to reflect on some of the less-urgent-high-importance issues that are sitting on Waste Management Officers desks.
A busy time for municipal waste managers
Local authority waste managers have been busy as the various waste sector reforms have been announced and implemented. The programme for responding to policies and market-based interventions is unlikely to reduce workload as Officers introduce new services, prepare TEEP assessments, report against funding requirements, and confirm systems and procedures for the implementation of digital waste tracking. The continuous need to monitor further policy developments on packaging extended producer responsibility (pEPR) and the Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) also demands attention.
The focus on many of the forthcoming and shorter-term dates in DEFRA’s Resources and Waste Reforms Roadmap has perhaps detracted from some of the less-urgent-high-importance issues that face many authorities over the longer term.
Since the turn of the year, WRM’s waste strategy and procurement team have noted a marked increase in local authorities addressing the longer-term priorities. Three areas in particular stand out amongst our recent project work.
Municipal waste strategy: confidence to refresh
Many municipal strategies have become outdated, particularly the long-term strategies developed in the mid 2000’s that had a twenty-year focus. Whilst the conceptual drivers for waste have progressed to include circular economy and carbon emissions from the waste management system, a ten year long national policy vacuum provided an uncertain context against which to update municipal waste strategies. With the Environment Act and Simpler Recycling policies now coming into force, Waste Management Officers can now take confidence in revising strategy in accordance with national policy. Strategy updates may be undertaken to formalise objectives, targets, and actions into Council policy; or, in anticipation of the many waste contracts that are approaching expiry. WRM's guide to reviewing municipal waste strategy is an invaluable source of information for waste managers embarking on the process.
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Waste emissions trading scheme: acting early to mitigate financial impacts
The inclusion of Energy for Waste (EfW) within the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is widely anticipated to increase the cost of municipal residual waste management. This is due to the allowances that EfW operators will need to purchase to cover carbon emissions from the fossil derived content (e.g. plastic) of residual waste. Whilst emission measurement and charging mechanisms are yet to be confirmed, it is clear that costs will pass through supply chains to waste producers. With some 12 million tonnes per annum disposed into EfW, local authorities represent some of the largest residual waste producers to be impacted by ETS.
Much of the current industry discussion is focused on emission measurement and charging mechanisms. An area of greater focus for Waste Management Officers is on mitigating ETS costs by reducing the fossil content of residual waste. WRM recently published a guide to waste ETS mitigation which sets out a range strategy options. Disposal authorities engaged in long term residual waste treatment contracts (e.g. beyond 2028) are increasingly looking at contract review options.
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Local Government Reorganisation (LGR): preparing for inevitable service changes
The LGR process continues with many authorities currently working through proposals and consultations for the formation of new unitary authorities. Such proposals and consultations provide Officers with foresight of how changes may play out. This enables a range of issues to be considered such as contractual alignment, collection system integration, and vehicle and staff management.
In WRM’s recent work to support LGR, a proactive approach to address integration has been essential, as many responses are not immediate and have a lead time. Our guide to Managing waste services through Local Government Reorganisation shares our insights on a range of issues, for those facing LGR processes.
About WRM
WRM is a specialist resource and waste management consultancy that works across the UK, providing a range of consultancy support to local authority waste managers. Contact our knowledgeable and experience team for a no-obligation discussion on all waste strategy, service development, and service/infrastructure procurement matters.
