NEWS STORY

5 September, 2008

Enviros give evidence to House of Lords Sixth Report on Waste Reduction

The House of Lords have published the Science and Technology Committee Sixth Report on Waste Reduction, to which Jonathan Davies, Enviros' Strategy Director, gave evidence in his capacity as Chairman of the Environmental Industries Commission's (EIC) Waste Resources Working Group.

If you would like to read the report in full please click here.

In summary, the Lords recommend that:

Waste reduction, rather than re-use and recycling, must now be the priority for the Government; the Government's focus should move from domestic to commercial and industrial waste; VAT support for sustainable material use and product repair should be considered; 'True individual producer responsibility' should be introduced; Government should lead by example in reducing waste, and Government procurement staff should be trained to recognise the true costs of the products they buy, integrating waste reduction into their larger sustainability goals; waste data collection should be improved to better inform strategy and policy; Designers should receive guidance on sustainable- and eco- design legislation; guidance to business should be enhanced, and financial benefits to business of waste reduction must be made clear; reductions in funding for waste reduction should be reversed; a proportion of landfill tax revenues should again be ring-fenced to support such initiatives; costs and targets on local authorities should be amended to allow them to address commercial and industrial waste; consumer 'choice-editing' for sustainable products should be encouraged by government and industry.