|
"Waste - an Audit" Report of the Environmental Audit Committee
The Environmental Audit Committee published its report entitled "Waste - an Audit" on 23 April 2003. The Committee observed that the Government:
- has not provided adequate funding to local authorities;
- has not provided clear guidance and certainty on waste policy;
- must increase the rate of the Landfill Tax more steeply than is currently proposed;
- has been timid in its use of fiscal instruments to tackle environmental issues;
- has a poor record in implementing EU waste legislation and must be better prepared to implement forthcoming EU Legislation;
The Committee agreed with ESA's submission that based on current performance the United Kingdom will fail to meet the recovery targets of the Landfill Directive and the recycling targets of Waste Strategy 2000. ESA's graph to illustrate the UK's current trajectory was used in the Committee's press release.
The Committee comments also that the planning system is "cumbersome" stating: "it takes too long to make decisions and, in the absence of effective waste management strategies in some areas, the decisions which are made are often too inconsistent. This increases the risk presented to those seeking to attract investment in waste management facilities".
The Committee did not accept the need for a specific strategy on commercial and industrial waste or for the waste function to be concentrated within one Government Department. However, it does make reference to the definition of waste as a "barrier to progress" and calls on the Government to provide clarification on the definition and interpretation of waste
The report also recommends that the Government should introduce a moratorium on permissions for all large-scale incinerators until the review of the environmental and health effects of all waste management and disposal options is completed. This recommendation echoes an amendment to the Waste and Emissions Bill tabled by Ms Sue Doughty MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesman on the Environment.
In addition, the Report concludes that there are insufficient drivers in place in Waste Strategy 2000 to prevent it from becoming an "Incinerator Charter". The Committee calls on the Government to clarify urgently its position on incineration.
Full Report
ESA's press statement 
|
