Government

MF Regulations are coalition’s greatest waste achievement

The Materials Facility (MF) Regulations, set to come into force next month, have been one of the coalition government’s greatest waste achievements, Resource Minister Dan Rogerson told an audience at the RWM in partnership with CIWM event yesterday (18 September).

MF Regulations one of the coalition government’s greatest waste achievementsWhen asked by Resource Media “What do you think the coalition’s greatest achievement is from the past five years (in terms of waste policy)?”, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Water, Forestry, Rural Affairs and Resource Management at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), briefly hesitated, before saying: “I’d like to say we moved some things forward. I suppose, I think the MF Regulations coming in will make a real contribution – it’s the start of the process where there’s a real engagement to look at what’s coming through and for everybody to focus on best practice. So, that’s a success.

“I can already see some signs of the right messages going out now on waste crime, and we’re beginning to tackle that. The fact that we’ve made the case to our colleagues in Treasury that that’s worth investing in (and hopefully we’ll be able to deliver on that) is also a good bit of progress. At a time when resources are tight, in terms of finances (given the deficit that we’ve had to contend with), the fact that we continue to make progress against that background is a good record.”

He added: “Moving the economy back into one of growth, what this sector has delivered is a big achievement as well. I can’t really grab that as a coalition achievement, that’s a sector achievement, but if we can work to build on that and continue to do it, then that’s what I’d like to see.

“I think there are still remaining opportunities for things we can set in place between now and the general election… There are certainly things that I’ve picked up from my brief time in office since last October, which will feed into where [the Liberal Democrats] are going as a party into the general election.”

Moving to a circular economy

During his talk at the Circular Economy Connect theatre at RWM in partnership with CIWM yesterday, Rogerson outlined what his thoughts were on the current and future state of resource management, and what central government has been doing to aid the sector progress.

He said: “You may have heard me speak before about my desire for our economy to move away from make, use, and dispose, and it’s essential that we move towards an approach where our products, and the value they contain, are valued differently and are circulated.

“The government remains ambitious, and we’re keen to see the delivery of a sustainable and resource efficient economy. All this makes environmental, economic and social sense. With improved technology and innovation, and improved business models, a move towards a circular economy is the right approach, and it’s possible. I believe that everyone, including government, industry, civil society and consumers all have a stake in it, and we all need to play our part in achieving it.

“The role of government is to facilitate the transition towards a more circular economy, to ensure the right framework is in place, and to ensure that businesses have the tools and the freedom to realise those benefits.”

Rogerson highlighted some work that government is undertaking to help achieve this, such as Defra’s £1.2-billion Action Based Research Programme that aims to develop innovative solutions and understand the barriers to resource efficiency, and a pilot project that provides small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with a shared resource efficiency manager (set to launch later this month).

Touching on the fact that by January 2015, all local authorities will need to have in place separate collections of dry recyclables (unless they are not technically, environmentally, or economically practicable (TEEP)), Rogerson said: “This doesn’t mean we need dozen of bins. Where separate collection is not TEEP, co-mingling and sorting at materials recovery facilities is the right way forward. I’m confident that local authorities will be in a position to deliver the right system for their local are and to deliver those quality recyclates.”

He added: “When the [MF] Code of Practice comes into effect next month, this will be an important step in allowing you to demonstrate the high quality that can be achieved through co-mingled collections. The approach we’re taking will support those that follow good practice and deliver quality, and more importantly, push out that poor-quality recyclate.”

Commenting on the European Commissioner for the Environment’s recent communication on the circular economy, which proposed setting a resource productivity target for 2030, Rogerson said: “It’s clear the commission aim to create a framework to facilitate and deliver policies that are better joined up with smarter regulation and increase the support for research and innovation… We want to make sure the commission proposals are developed with member states, that they allow flexibility and ensure that the costs are justified by the expected impacts to avoid unnecessary burdens on business and create an environment that welcomes innovation.

“To ensure that that happens, we will continue to work with the industry throughout the negotiation period.

He concluded: “While improving resource efficiency is important when moving to a circular economy, another key component is delivering increased quality and quantity of materials. And this is achieved through our collection systems… I recognise that there is work to do to ensure we meet our 50 per cent target of recycling household waste by 2020, but I do believe that by working together, local authorities, waste companies, industry and householders we can promote good practice in recycling, making it more convenient for householders to do their part. However, we don’t rule out tougher measures should these be needed, and promoting greater recycling and improved quality of recycling is something that we really need to strive for.

“In the coming decades, effective waste and resource management will continue to increase in importance. By 2050, global demand for resources are predicted to treble, while virgin materials become scarcer and the risk of price volatility increases. These will be important drivers to the transition to that circular economy that protects out businesses from price shocks and supports growth right the way across the economy. To help achieve this, I’ll continue to work closely with my colleagues in other government departments, and Defra will continue to be the right department to champion and support you.”

Find out more about central government’s position on waste collections.