The TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) has sparked a row by publishing a report detailing the ‘shocking disparity’ in the number of containers councils ask residents to sort waste into.
Container numbers average four per household, but range from one on the Isles of Scilly and Dumfries and Galloway to nine in Newcastle-under-Lyme (although the TPA’s decision to include the kitchen food waste caddy and a bag for textiles in this count is questionable – see article on Newcastle’s system in Resource 54).
Chris Daniel, Policy Analyst at TPA, said: “It’s ridiculous that some councils ask for waste to be sorted into seven bins or more; this places needless pressure on households and isn’t a good way of encouraging recycling... councils can’t send too much to landfill, but plenty of local authorities cope with three bins, so there’s no reason others can’t too.”
The Local Government Association countered that there is ‘no one-size-fits-all solution’, and Friends of the Earth’s waste campaigner Julie Kirby pointed out: “While some people are frustrated by complicated sorting systems, the TaxPayers’ Alliance are missing the point – we don’t need lots of bins to have a good recycling service. In the simplest, cheapest and most effective services the bin men sort recyclables from one or two bins into multi-compartment trucks so householders don’t have to.”
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How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.