VIDEO: ESA chairman Phil Piddington has described the government’s Resources and Waste Strategy as a ‘move in the right direction’ – adding that the waste sector is now awaiting ‘bankable’ certainty on policy from government.
Speaking exclusively to letsrecycle.com this week, Mr Piddington, who is also the managing director of waste and resources business Viridor, discussed some of the major issues currently facing the sector.
His comments come shortly after his election to the post in late 2018, when he succeeded Stewart Davies as chair of the waste management industry association.
Among the key priorities for his time at the helm of the Association, Mr Piddington said he would be keen to encourage greater ‘connectivity’ with stakeholders including government and local authorities.
He also cited a need for a move towards more ‘alignment’ from waste businesses, citing standardisation in collection methods, and in terms of materials collected, as a key area for action.
Turning to the Resources and Waste Strategy, which was released late last year, he said: “We welcome what is coming out at the moment. The devil is in the detail in terms of policy. In terms of areas they are consulting on there has been quite a lot of lobbying by the Association and the sector to bring focus on that.”
‘Certainty’
With much of the detail of the strategy to be covered in detail in a series of forthcoming consultations, expected to be published in the coming weeks, Mr Piddington commented that policy certainty from government will be crucial to future investment in the sector.
“We are absolutely moving in the right direction, and I think that has been hugely influenced by what has been described as ‘The Blue Planet effect’ – that has really brought it up the agenda.
“Now it is about getting good consultation and very clear long term direction which is bankable with confidence that it is not going to change.”
Implementation dates and long-term consistency of policy set out in the consultation will be particularly important, he suggested.
Watch the full interview with letsrecycle.com editor Steve Eminton, discussing the Strategy, energy from waste capacity and domestic recycling infrastructure.
Mr Piddington was also among those to offer his view on the potential impact of a no-deal Brexit on the sector, following the rejection of Theresa May’s Brexit deal yesterday (see letsrecycle.com story).
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
