The year ahead is set to be a particularly unpredictable one for all sectors given the uncertainty surrounding the exact date of the impending General Election. Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak has indicated it is most likely to take place in the second half of the year but has thus far refused to commit to a date.
In the meantime, the current Government is progressing waste and recycling reform with ongoing dialogue on its Simpler Recycling policy and a consultation and call for evidence on the Extended Producer Responsibility of electronic waste launched in the past few weeks. Whilst, added direction and dialogue with the Government is welcome by the us all in the sector, the ticking clock is of concern for the local authorities who will need time to adjust to implement these changes.
We have all been hampered by delays in clarity surrounding complex regulation that requires extensive preparation to be successful. It would be disheartening for these changes to be discarded in favour of a focus on the General Election and for plans to be abandoned as clarity on reforms are finally gaining traction. The question of timelines is one that weighs heavy on minds of those in charge of local environmental policy and across our sector.
The Labour Party has not provided much clarity on their position regarding waste reforms though they have acknowledged that the environment and Net Zero will be important considerations for an upcoming election. Although one would suspect there won’t be radical deviations for plans already in train.
To add to the domestic uncertainty, the world at large is going through a broader period of upheaval with the European Parliament and the United States General Election set to take place.
A growing nationalist influence in the European Union could pose a threat to pro-environment forces in the upcoming Parliament vote. The rise of far-right sentiment may reshape governments and policies, but securing majorities is uncertain due to political fracturing. The Green Deal may be compromised as far-right politicians align against perceived costs of a clean transition and mainstream parties potentially adopt radical policies from fringe parties to combat fracturing. The impact this might have on international environmental agreements could further lead to an unpredictable landscape with rippling effects from the local to the global.
In the United States – depending on the outcome of legal proceedings against Donald Trump – if Trump were allowed to run again, given his history of reneging on the Paris Agreement, international environmental agreements could also suffer and cause additional instability due to potentially changed regulations and impacted timelines.
Those in charge of local recycling and waste management strategies can only carry on business as usual and attempt to prepare for the next years with the information it has at hand. We hope to see more clarity provided as the year goes on with whoever ends up in Government understanding the importance ensuring the Resources and Waste Strategy is successfully implemented and its ambitions realised.
