The North London Waste Authority (NLWA) has called on the government to “speed up and improve” its extended producer responsibility (EPR) proposals.
The authority, which manages waste for seven boroughs in North London, called for “no further delays” to EPR and added that “further action” was needed on waste prevention and packaging reuse before the end of its life.
The authority manages waste for seven councils in north London, where the pictured Edmonton plant is located (picture: Shutterstock)
Local authorities should also have powers to make recycling compulsory, according to the NLWA.
Cllr Clyde Loake, chair of the authority, said: “We have serious concerns that there is a lot of talking and not enough real action – delays are literally costing the earth.
“Whilst these proposals are a good start, we believe they could go further, particularly on preventing waste in the first place – companies cannot keep making new plastic packaging just because it can be recycled – there is enough in the system already.”
Consultation
The calls come as part of the NLWA’s response to the EPR consultation, which closed on 4 June.
In its response to the consultation, the NLWA also said improvements to labelling were needed “urgently” to reduce its £2 million annual bill for dealing with contamination.
The authority said further action was needed on “a simple, clear labelling system for everyday goods”, allowing residents to know what packaging can be recycled, and what cannot.
It says consumer confusion is leading to increased contamination costs, as residents put the wrong items in the recycling bin.
Delays
The NLWA added that both the EPR and deposit return scheme (DRS) consultations had been delayed by more than a year after a previous consultation in 2019.
“We have serious concerns that there is a lot of talking and not enough real action”
Cllr Clyde Loakes, chair of the NLWA
“The consultation on making household recycling collections consistent across England is only just released. By the time the first of these schemes (EPR) is introduced in 2023, 28 billion more plastic bottles will have been bought in the UK alone and globally, two million seabirds and 200,000 marine mammals such as whales and turtle could have been killed through eating plastic,” the authority said.
It said that the EPR proposals as they stand have “few incentives for packaging producers to focus on prevention and reuse”, adding that “no action is expected on these until at least 2025 under separate legislation”.
According to the NWLA, “this effectively gives producers the green light to churn out single-use plastic for another 4-5 years”.
The NLWA is made up of seven boroughs in North London: Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Packaging
