CIWM review finds Resources and Waste Strategy still mostly undelivered
Industry body calls for a new ‘Resource Resilience Strategy’ after analysis of 2018 strategy leads to conclusion that ‘ambitious scale of the strategy was never matched by the resources to deliver it’.
A review of the 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy (RWS) conducted by the Chartered Institution of Waste Management (CIWM) has revealed that only 20 per cent of policies have been fully implemented. A further 54 per cent are only partially in place, leaving 26 per cent of policies yet to be started.
The review highlights factors such as ministerial changes, preparation for Brexit, and Covid-19 as potential reasons for the delays.
Lee Marshall, CIWM’s Director of Innovation and Technical Services, said: “CIWM members have undertaken a comprehensive review of the 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy and the findings confirm that progress on implementing its policies has been incredibly slow, as many in the sector thought. The ambitious scale of the strategy was never matched by the resources made available within Government to deliver it.”
A handful of policies such as the plastic packaging tax, which came into effect in April 2022, and a mandatory food waste hierarchy are marked as fully implemented in the review.
However, many expected milestones, such as the Deposit Return Scheme for drink containers (DRS), Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging and e-waste, and consistent bin collections have yet to be achieved.
CIWM also suggests that RWS, originally created five years ago, appears outdated in regards to recent conversation about resources, carbon, and climate change.
Marshall added: “Whilst it is good to see that Defra has been slightly bolstered in recent years, the fact is that political indecision has left the original timelines meaningless in many cases. There is an urgent need to see certain policies delivered, including packaging EPR and Consistent Collections which will directly increase recycling rates, whilst digital waste tracking and carriers, brokers and dealers’ reforms will help regulators address waste crime and increase standards still further.”
Policy Recommendations
In light of the limited progress, CIWM suggests that it is time for an updated ‘Resource Resilience Strategy’, outlining several policy measures to be included:
- Establishing a cross-departmental resource task force
- Implementing key policies from the existing strategy, including EPR and digital waste tracking
- Focusing on developing skills within the sector to support the transition to a circular economy, particularly in areas such as AI, robotics, and data analysis
- Introducing targeted EPR regimes, targets for top level of the waste hierarchy, and targeted economic instruments such as the plastic packaging tax
- Pricing raw materials to reflect their environmental costs
- Strengthening eco-design and waste prevention initiatives
Marshall suggested: “Given the picture this review paints, it is time to produce a new Resource Resilience Strategy that will help deliver on the Government’s ambition of a zero-waste economy.”
