| Consultation: revised waste framework directive |
| Friday, 16 July 2010 14:51 |
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Defra has launched a consultation on how to implement the revised EU Waste Framework Directive in England and Wales, and your views are being sought. The consultation closes on 16 September 2010 and can be found here. We've had a read through the consultation document and noticed one area of concern for Community Composters. DEFRA are proposing that the definition of recycling (as it relates to Article 11(2)(a) : Household Waste Recycling Targets) only includes compost which meets national end-of-waste criteria for compost and digestate (PAS100 and PAS111). Any composting which isn't PAS100 will instead be classified as recovery (this is further down the waste hierarchy and will not count towards recycling targets) even though DEFRA acknowledge that such compost can be used on land for beneficial purposes. What will this mean for Community Composters? Most Community Composters are producing compost under an exemption and at this scale it is not financially possible to obtain PAS100 status even if the compost itself is excellent. If producing compost in this way is no longer classified as recycling it is possible that many groups will lose support from the Local Authorities, for example, in the form of recycling credits. We are still trying to understand the full impact of these potential changes and will be responding to this consultation. After we've received some clarification from DEFRA we will be drafting up a response and asking CCN members for their thoughts on the issue. Stay tuned for more info. |
