Much has been made of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (DEFRA) 25-year plan announced by the Prime Minister on January 11th 2018, but what does it actually mean for businesses?
Our Waste Consultant, Daniel Howells takes us through the key points, with a particular focus on waste management.
This long-awaited, 25-year plan has a particular focus on reducing waste with over half of all the action points focused on the topic.
To reduce plastic waste, the Government will require smaller retailers to charge 5p for plastic bags – this is to support their flagship policy; the pledge to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042. While this seems a while off and there have been no specific announcements on future legislation to support this aspiration, it is perhaps fair to expect the Government to use taxation (as is in place with plastic bags) to reduce plastic usage.
We do know that the current packaging waste regulations are likely to be reformed to incentivise producers to take greater responsibility for the environmental impacts of their products. This will most likely be through extending producer responsibility requirements – essentially the ‘producer pays’ principle.
The plan also includes policies on reducing food supply chain waste and littering, improving the management of residual waste, cracking down on waste crime and reducing the impact of wastewater.
What Should Businesses Do to Prepare for the 25-Year Environment Plan?
To help your business remain within the law and stay ahead of the competition, focus should be applied to the following key points:
– Reducing overall waste from your processes.
– If you are a manufacturer, reducing the amount of packaging that is placed in your products.
– Increasing the recyclability of the products that you make.
– Ensuring your waste is collected by an authorised waste handler and the waste is going to a permitted site.
Of course, some will argue that the Government should have gone further; however, there is a recognition (at last) from the Government that business growth goes hand-in-hand with using our resources efficiently. Waste is a perfect example of this as it is a by-product of inefficient operating practices. Savings attributed to a reduction in waste disposal leads to an indirect saving of 10x this amount in reduced raw material, processing and labour costs. Reduced waste leads to increased efficiency right the way through an organisation’s structure and often positively affects the supply chain too.
Sensible, progressive changes to existing waste processes will enable leaner business that will meet the objectives of the Government’s 25-year Environment Plan. Get in touch with our experts today to discuss and improve your business recycling and waste management.
Article by: Daniel Howells