Ahead of a UK General Election expected this year, Andusia has called on the next Government to get tough on waste crime and to seek greater harmonisation with the EU on key environmental regulation such as carbon taxes. It also argues that a free market should be maintained for legitimate waste exports across the UK and Europe.
Andusia would like to see three key policy areas for the waste and resource management sector prioritised during the next UK Parliament:
• Better enforcement to tackle waste crime – in particular, Andusia would like to see Defra’s proposals to reform the waste carriers, brokers and dealers (CBD) registration system in England taken forward. Bringing the CBD registration regime into the environmental permitting regulations will help strengthen the vetting and approval process of operators, and enable enforcement agencies to undertake inspections more easily. This would go a long way in helping to combat illegal activities such as fly-tipping. The CBD reforms should also be extended to waste exports, to help tackle illegal shipments.
• Greater harmonisation of carbon taxes – in particular, Andusia would like to see the implementation of emissions trading schemes (ETS) for energy-from-waste (EfW) plants better aligned across the UK and Europe. There is currently a wide variation in how EfW levies are being calculated by different countries, which is creating confusion in the market, particularly when residual waste is being moved across borders. The UK Government should seek to work with European regulators to encourage greater consistency in this area. In turn, this would create more certainty for the EfW sector, particularly when it comes to investment and planning.
• Encourage free market for waste exports – while Andusia strongly supports the recent EU ban on plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries, the export of residual waste for the sole purpose of energy recovery, and only to developed countries in the EU that maintain high standards when it comes to environmental and human health, is a necessary solution. As such, these exports should not face any bans or restrictive controls. Exports of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) from the UK are used to create valuable heat and electricity in Europe, while keeping waste out of landfill and reducing the cost burden for the tax-payer.
“2024 is set to be a pivotal year for our sector, especially with a General Election on the horizon. There’s still much to do when it comes to reforming waste policy and we feel there’s an exciting opportunity for whichever party next takes power to deliver some meaningful change for our sector. We hope our calls will be taken on-board by policy-makers and stand ready to engage with them,” said Mark Terrell, director at Andusia.