STRATEGIC, LEGISLATIVE and ECONOMIC DRIVERS FOR REDUCING COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL WASTE IN WALES
Dr.Andy Rees
Head of Welsh Assembly Government’s
Waste Strategy Unit
The major strategic drivers - European I
The Waste Framework Directive (75/442/EEC as amended by 91/156/EEC and 91/692/EEC)
requires member states to: take all necessary steps to prevent waste generation; to encourage reuse; and to ensure safe disposal
• and which established the following principles of: self-sufficiency; and proximity
• requiring Member States to establish an integrated and adequate network of disposal installations.
• Member States are required to draw up waste management plans as a major mechanism to achieve this policy.
The major strategic drivers - European - II
• EU’s 6th Environment Action Programme– Integrated Product Policy– Thematic Strategy on Resources– Thematic Strategy on Waste Prevention &
Recycling
Integrated Product Policy• Aim: To reduce the environmental impacts from products throughout their life-
cycle, harnessing, where possible, a market driven approach, within which competitiveness concerns are integrated.
• Actions:– Tools for creating the right economic & legal framework
• Taxes & subsidies• Voluntary agreements / standardisation• Legislation
– Promoting the application of life-cycle thinking• LCA tools• EMSs• Product Design obligations (eg. draft Directive on Eco-Design of End-
Use Equipment)
– Giving consumers the information to decide• Greening public procurement (Member State action plans by 2006)• Eco labelling
Thematic Strategy on the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources
• Aim: To decouple resource use and environmental impact from economic growth and prosperity
• Problem: Resource use per product is decreasing, but this is being overtaken by the increase in the number of products that are manufactured
• 3 strategic elements proposed in recent EC Communication:
– Knowledge gathering
– Policy assessment
– Policy integration
Thematic Strategy on Waste Prevention & Recycling
• Waste Prevention:– identify potentials
– exchange good practice
– future chemicals policy (REACH)
– voluntary/mandatory waste prevention plans?
– Waste prevention under IPPC
• Recycling:– material based recycling targets?
– fiscal measures
– producer responsibility
– make recycling easier & cleaner
– definition of waste
– source segregation
The major strategic drivers -UK
• Waste Strategy 2000 (for England)
• Cabinet Office/PIU - “Resource Productivity - Making More With Less”
• Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit (was PIU) - ‘Waste Not, Want Not’ - Nov 2002
• DTI/DEFRA Framework on Sustainable Consumption and Production - “Changing Patterns” - Sep 2003
The major strategic drivers -resource productivity
• Measures the efficiency of the economy in generating output without using up natural resources - including the capacity of the environment to absorb our waste and pollution
• Landfill is not consistent with the concept of resource efficiency since it removes useful resources and materials out of the economic cycle where they can no longer be used
• Every tonne of waste products landfilled represents many more tonnes of other wasted resources used to produce those landfilled waste products
• Landfill also damages the environment
The major strategic drivers -Wales
• Sustainable Development Scheme - Learning to Live Differently & its review (out for consultation)
• Wise About Waste - The National Waste Strategy for Wales (more later….)
The latest major legislative drivers - EU
• PPC Directive
• EC Landfill Directive
• EC Packaging, ELV & WEEE Directives
• Animal By-Products Regulations
• Changes to Hazardous Waste list
• Proposed Directive on the Management of Waste from the Extractive Industries
• Proposed Biowaste (Composting) Directive
The Landfill Directive - major implications
• Changes landfill practice - no co-disposal
• No hazardous waste landfills in Wales?
• Tightens landfill standards
• Requires pre-treatment of all landfilled wastes
• Strict Waste Acceptance Criteria
• Sets targets to substantially reduce landfill of biodegradable municipal waste
• Landfill costs will rise (+ Landfill Tax)
EC Composting Directive (draft)
• Working Document on the Biological Treatment of Biowaste (Feb 2001 draft):– promotes biological treatment of biowaste which cannot be re-
used or recycled;
– requires source separation of biowastes (population size dependent);
– unsorted wastes subjected to biological treatment would still be regarded as a waste not compost
– compost must fulfil environmental quality standards and must be suitable for agricultural improvement or ecological benefit
The latest major legislative drivers - UK
• PPC Regulations
• Landfill Regulations (England & Wales)
• Waste & Emissions Trading Bill & Municipal Waste Management (Wales) Regulations
• Animal By-Products Regulations
• Revisions to the exemptions under the Waste Management Licensing Regulations
• Revisions to the Special Waste Regulations
• Agricultural Waste Regulations
Hazardous Waste
• Changes to EC Hazardous Waste list - new England and Wales Regulations long overdue
– Will incorporate newly hazardous wastes (e.g. TVs, fluorescent lights)
• DEFRA/WAG to consult soon on major changes to Special Waste Regs (likley to include producer registration)
• July 2004 ban on co-disposal in landfill
– 0 hazardous waste landfills in Wales
– ca. 10 in England
• Landfilled hazardous waste subject to treatment and waste acceptance criteria
• Need new hazardous waste management facilities across Wales (2 landfills?, treatment, storage, transfer etc)
The major economic drivers for landfill reduction
• Landfill Tax to £35 per tonne
• Implications of legislation:
– Higher landfill standards
– Costs of treatment prior to landfill and meeting Waste Acceptance Criteria
– Increase in hazardous waste costs
• Aggregates Levy £1.60 per tonne
• Supply chain pressure
• Public image
Wise About Waste - the National Waste Strategy for Wales -objectives
• To make Wales a model for sustainable waste management by adopting and implementing a sustainable, integrated approach to waste production, management and regulation (including litter and flytipping) which:
– minimises the production of waste and its impact on the environment,
– maximises the use of unavoidable waste as a resource, and
– minimises, where practicable, the use of energy from waste and landfill.
• To comply with the requirements of relevant European Council (EC) waste Directives and UK legislation
Wales targets - Municipal Waste
• By 2009/10 waste arisings per household should be those in 1997/98
• Recycling/ composting targets for municipal waste:
– 2009/10 at least 40%, min 15% composting (source segregated only)
• Provision of hazardous waste reception facilities at Civic Amenity sites
• EC Landfill Directive Targets to reduce biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) to landfill:
– by 2020 we can only landfill 35% of the BMW we produced in 1995.
Other Wales targets
• Public & Private sector waste minimisation:– by 2010 achieve a reduction in waste produced equivalent to at least 10% of the
1998 arisings figure• Construction and demolition waste re-use/recycling:
– by 2010, to re-use or recycle at least 85% of C&D waste produced• Use of secondary aggregates (draft):
– Within 5 years increase proportion of aggregate supply from secondary and recycled sources to at least 25% of total
• Reducing landfill (all wastes and specifically for biodegradable wastes):– by 2010, to reduce the amount of industrial and commercial waste sent to landfill to
less than 80% of that landfilled in 1998;• Reducing hazardous waste:
– by 2010, to reduce the amount of hazardous waste generated
by at least 20% compared with 2000 (for those wastes classified
as special in 2000)
Strategic actions for Municipal Waste
• NAW Performance Indicators & Policy Agreements
• Funding:
– Additional £88m for local authorities for 5 years
– Support for community recycling sector (NOF £3 m + Cylch core funding)
– Probable £15m Strategic Recycling Scheme fund
• ‘High Diversion’ Exemplars
• WET Bill (allowances + statutory MWMSs)
• Municipal waste composition project
• Waste Awareness Wales education campaign
• Public sector waste minimisation campaign
Actions for industrial and commercial wastes
• Increase recycling of commercial wastes
• Public Sector Waste Minimisation Campaign
• Support for business through WAG Business and Environment Action Plan
– 22 Business & Environment Co-Ordinators
– “EM4 Wales”
– Green Dragon
– Business Waste Sub Group
• Hazardous Waste Forum & Action Plan
• Hazardous waste ‘Communications Plan’
• Hazardous waste treatment consultancy
Actions for infrastructure and market development
• Regional Waste Plans - November 2003• Unitary Development Plans - site identification• Funding support for new facilities
– Objective One Priority 6 Measure 4– RSA, AIG, WRAP, SRS etc.
• WDA Environmental Goods & Services Programme• Recycling/composting markets
– Creating Welsh Markets for Reyclate (Wales Environment Trust) - £1.7 million
– Waste and Resources Action Programme – Public sector green procurement
• Secondary aggregates– Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund
Improving our understanding
• R&D priorities:
– data
– health
– innovation
– product development
– recycling/composting markets
– tools
• Wales Centre of Excellence in Waste Research
• 2nd EA survey of industrial & commercial waste
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