The role of European Union legislation in driving forward the waste recycling industry has been supported by the major trade bodies representing the sector in the UK, Collect and Recycle (http://www.collectandrecycle.com) reports.
Such support for the waste collections sector comes amid continued work by the government to assess whether current EU laws are benefitting the UK, as part of its ‘Review of the Balance of Competences’. Included in the cross governmental review was a spring 2013 consultation into the impact of EU environmental legislation.
The findings of that review are set to form the basis of a government report analysing EU laws’ scope and effect as far as climate change and the environment are concerned. Now, the EU has been backed as a ‘force for good’ for UK industry in a joint statement by the Resource Association, Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), Renewable Energy Association (REA), Environmental Services Association (ESA) and Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association (ADBA).
The statement read, in words that will interest many of those using UK waste disposal companies: “In sharing our separate responses to the government’s consultation, it is clear that there are strong common positions and concerns about the role of the EU that are shared across the industry. We are clear that the overall impact of EU waste legislation has benefited the UK and that we want the UK to maintain a strong role in influencing EU waste and resources policy.”
The trade bodies added that they agreed on the need for “much more” to be done to level the playing field of EU laws’ implementation, particular with regard to the delivery of common standards of reporting and clarity on definitions and targets to increase the meaningfulness of comparisons across the EU.
The groups cited the Landfill Directive as one of the single pieces of legislation most impacting on UK industry, expressing doubt that industry could have been driven forward in a similar way through UK governments acting in isolation.
Stating that EU waste legislation had “undoubtedly” had a positive effect on UK industry, the bodies expressed a wish for “our engagement with the EU to be embedded and constructive, and respecting the principle of subsidiarity we believe that the UK should continue to embrace this approach – continued involvement in EU policy is good for the waste and resources industry.”
The waste services sector’s backing for EU legislation comes as a warning against a UK exit from the EU was issued by the Confederation of British Industries (CBI), arguing that the British economy would be harmed by such a move.
Our experts here at Collect and Recycle (http://www.collectandrecycle.com) will certainly keep a close eye on the EU membership debate as it relates to the UK recycling sector – and rest assured that in the meantime, we’ll continue to deal with all of your business waste in the most efficient, cost-effective and legally compliant manner.
