
Dementia currently affects 1 in 14 people in the UK. Many people will either know someone with dementia, have had to support and care for someone with dementia or have been diagnosed themselves.
Following a judicial review, the Regulations state that waste collection authorities (and others which collect waste paper, metals, plastic and/or glass) must do so by way of separate collection. This requirement applies where separate collection is:
Waste collection authorities are left to consider for themselves what does and does not satisfy these tests – in particular what constitutes “TEEP”. The Environment Agency takes a relatively “risk-based” approach to regulation in this field. There is no statutory guidance available to help waste collection authorities to determine what, in their circumstances, TEEP might mean.
In the absence of any statutory guidance, waste collection authorities demonstrate a wide variety of approaches to what “separate” collection might be, from “comingled” collection of the different streams of recyclates together (but separate from general waste) – not generally considered compliant with the Regulations but acceptable where to do otherwise wouldn’t be TEEP – through to separation of each waste stream at source (i.e. by individual residents before they put waste out for collection), with two-stream collection lying somewhere between the two. This inconsistency across the country leaves residents baffled by collections (“there are too many bins and bags” being a stereotype) and unsure of what can and can’t be recycled. It also risks breaching the Regulations in some cases. The European Commission’s Environmental Committee is currently debating clarifying the Waste Framework Directive further to remove the TEEP test entirely, and so the message from Europe appears to be that separate collection means, well, separate collection.
Against this backdrop and following extensive research, WRAP launched A Framework for Greater Consistency in Household Recycling in England in September 2016. WRAP’s research identified that consistency is vital to improved recycling rates across the country –all households should be able to recycle the same core set of materials, which would lead to improved understanding, higher rates of recycling and reduced contamination in the materials that are collected and recycled. This means having fewer different collection and sorting systems across the country and a common system of containers.
WRAP suggest just three different systems of collection:
It’s worth highlighting a few things for the waste collection authority to note: the first is that all three of these options include separate food waste collection. This is the “easy win” to increase recycling rates. The second is that, when it comes to the “two-stream” approach, the important recyclate to collect separately is paper. If the paper can be collected separately from the card, then so much the better. This results in the lowest rates of contamination between recyclates.
And then third, aside from the environmental impact, the important point here is a commercial and financial one: streams of recyclable material are generally worth more if they are kept separate from each other. The research behind the Framework indicates that money can be saved through separate collection – something which runs contrary to some authorities’ argument that separate collection is too expensive (and so not “TEEP”). This is because the different waste streams are sold on to waste reprocessors, who will pay more for less contaminated waste.
WRAP has now committed to supporting six groups of local authorities to evaluate the local business case for adopting the consistency framework and is dedicating £1m from existing funding from Defra to provide this support.
For more information, please contact Gayle Monk or Cynyr Rhys.
Dementia currently affects 1 in 14 people in the UK. Many people will either know someone with dementia, have had to support and care for someone with dementia or have been diagnosed themselves.
The 2022 Code replaces the NHF Code of Conduct 2012 (the 2012 Code) and sets out the baseline standards that the NHF expects of its member registered providers (RPs).
The High Court has dismissed a challenge by the Police Superintendents’ Association to the closure of legacy public sector pension schemes.
In my recent blog, I said that we would be issuing a series of ebriefings and blogs highlighting issues with the Procurement Bill. This is the first of these.
Contractors and delivery partners are facing a ‘perfect storm’ in many cases with a number of factors directly impacting upon the profitability of their work.
Worker status, like Piers Morgan, is one of those things that we think has gone away and then it pops up again!
We are seeing a steady trickle of decisions focused around the issue of flexible working requests or employer requirements for changes to working patterns (both pre and post the pandemic).
For those of us who have endured a choppy cross channel journey, the mention of P&O Ferries will invoke some nauseous memories.
Successive generations have witnessed seismic shifts in the workplace; post-war it was the return of the soldiers and the impact on working women who had to work in their place.
In this podcast, Puja Desai interviews Kimberley Foster and discusses her experience with counselling. This is a really helpful podcast for anyone who has thought about counselling.