Defra minister Thérèse Coffey has questioned the continuing level of impact that the landfill tax has as a driver for increasing recycling rates and whether it is a “sufficient penalty to make a change”.
Speaking at afringe session at the Conservative Party conference organised by waste and resources firm Suez and the think tank Policy Exchange, the minister offered an early insight into her thinking on waste and resources after three months in the role.
(l-r): Gev Eduljee, Suez external affairs director, discusses the future of resource policy with Defra minister Thérèse Coffey at the conference fringe session
As well as questioning the role of landfill tax and targets, the minister also indicated that she would seek to “remove the excuse” for under-performing local authorities in urban areas which have struggled to raise recycling rates.
She said: “It is a real mindset about what we are going to do to get people, whether they are in an urban environment or the countryside, to recognise their responsibility. Given we have seen the plateauing, is the financial incentive of landfill tax just enough anymore? My impression is that it has stopped being a sufficient penalty to make a change. I want to remove the excuse that urban authorities say they have that they can’t get more people to recycle.
“That is when I am conscious of the work that WRAP are doing with a number of councils to think about how they make a step change. I don’t want central government to be decreeing everything because councils know their communities best, but I do know there are some outstanding examples.”
Suez
During the session, Suez director of external affairs, Gev Eduljee, appealed to the minister for clarity over the future of environmental legislation and on landfill tax.
He said: “We want government to confirm key pieces of legislation will remain in place. Financial markets will want to see what we are going to do for the next four of five years. Government should say that landfill tax will still be in place by 2018 or 2020.”
Future
Despite questioning the role of targets for the development of future strategy around waste and recycling, Dr Coffey indicated that existing measures such as the 50% by 2020 recycling target are likely to remain in the event of the UK’s exit from the EU, adding that there was no mandate for big changes on environmental legislation.
She said: “Government isn’t going to be slashing recycling targets. I can’t make any comment on tax but I am not aware of any submissions to me to remove the landfill tax. I am just questioning if that is still as much of a driver.”
Targets
The minister also voiced her support for a unified definition of recycling which would bring all parts of the UK and Europe in line with one another.
She added: “In Europe there are four ways of calculating your recycling and it seems people can pick the best ones to suit them. So being driven by targets rather than outcomes. Italy on one measure has 40% and on another measure 34%.”
Dr Coffey also hinted that a move away from a recycling target-based system could be a part of “an outcome led approach” for the UK’s waste sector outside of the EU.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
