Waste Strategy Stakeholder Group Meeting

ESA took part in the 4th Waste Strategy Stakeholder Group Meeting as both contributor and facilitator. The Meetings are held periodically by DEFRA to provide a wide range of stakeholders with the opportunity to inform the implementation of Waste Strategy for England 2007. The focus of the meeting was commercial and industrial (C&I) waste, in recognition of the challenges in diverting a largely heterogeneous waste stream away from landfill.

Key messages from stakeholders included the urgent need for current, comprehensive data on the C&I waste stream, without which planning would be impossible, the potential benefits of a sectoral approach to tackling C&I waste as opposed to generic targets for the whole stream, and recognition of the particular challenges in tackling waste from small and medium-sized enterprises. Potential policy measures which were discussed included product taxes for the most environmentally damaging products, targets based on metrics other than weight measurement, and regulatory measures such as landfill bans and requirements to separate and treat waste streams in prescribed ways.

The next meeting is due to take place in September, with a focus on the materials and products agenda.

ENDS

Date:              06 June 2008
Embargo:       None