The Advisory Committee on Packaging (ACP) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have announced today (27 February) that John Dye from Scott Pallets has been appointed to represent the wood packaging sector on the Committee.
The appointment comes following an open selection process and means that the ACP now has a specific representative covering the wood sector.
John Dye of Scott Pallets has been appointed to the ACP
In a statement, the ACP said that the recent increase in wood packaging recycling targets and “subsequent 30-fold increase in wood PRN prices in 2018 brought into sharp focus the lack of wood representation on the government’s ACP”.
Pallets
Wood packaging recycling – mainly of pallets from the business and commercial and industry wastestream – has seen reductions in reported volumes of wood packaging recycling since 2008 and Defra opted to push up recycling targets dramatically for 2018-2020 to help improve recycling rates. But, this has caused some controversy because packaging material also goes to biomass plants which are seen by some as being of environmental benefit and they also attract subsidies or support under government schemes external to Defra.
The ACP statement said that increasing wood packaging recycling targets in 2019 and 2020 “will see the need for specific sector expertise to ensure the wood packaging sector is fully understood and the government is properly informed on issues that need to be considered to ensure targets are met and policies do not conflict”.
Response
Part of the work is expected to see Mr Dye have input into the ACP’s response to government proposals for the PRN and packaging waste system beyond 2022. Various suggestions have been put in the recent consultation document and lower targets for wood recycling are suggested than at present which could unsettle the sector.
The UK has a 2020 target of 48% wood packaging recycling, way ahead of EU targets. This table is from March 2018.
John Dye is president of the UK Timber Pallet and Packaging Confederation TIMCON and product development manager at Scott Pallets. As the wood sector specialist, the ACP said he will be representing the whole wood packaging supply chain from raw materials, through manufacture, to recycling in its various forms.
Welcome
Phil Conran, Chairman of the ACP, said: “I am delighted to welcome John onto the Committee as we move into an extremely busy time determining the future of packaging EPR and ensuring the smooth operation of the current system with nearly four years still to run.
“His insight into the wood packaging manufacturing and recycling industries and extensive contacts across the sector will be invaluable in these considerations.”
Table from Defra’s current consultation document on Extended Producer Responsibility and new models for the UK’s waste packaging system: this appears to suggest lower future targets for wood recycling. (Note 86 says that there are ongoing talks with the wood sector.)
Brexit
Recently Mr Dye has been involved in talks with Defra over plans for Brexit if the UK should leave without an agreement. This could see going to the EU facing restrictions and cleaning requirements which aren’t in place at present because the UK would not be a member and this could be a major threat to trade. However, Mr Dye said that in what was “a frank and fruitful meeting, Defra highlighted how pleased Ministers were at the level of pro-active engagement the wood packaging industry has shown in these discussions”.
About the ACP
ACP Members represent various parts of the packaging chain, including businesses which have legal obligations under the Producer Responsibility Obligations as well as others who are involved in the management of packaging waste – local authorities, compliance schemes, waste management companies, reprocessors and exporters.
The Committee’s role is to support the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department of the Environment Northern Ireland, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government (the Devolved Administrations) in those matters relating to packaging falling within their respective responsibilities. In doing so, the Committee “will have regard to the different policy priorities across the UK, the possibilities to maximise the economic, environmental and social benefits of the reuse, recycling and recovery of packaging waste and any applicable EU requirements”.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Packaging
