Following responses for a consultation on banning wood waste from landfill, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said that it is not ‘the right time’ to restrict the material from landfill, as it is ‘likely to continue to decline without further government intervention’.

Defra received 37 responses to the Call for Evidence for Wood Waste Landfill Restrictions in England, with evidence coming from a range of stakeholders including trade associations, local authorities, energy companies and waste management companies, amongst others.

‘Mixed’ responses

According to the consultation document, there were ‘mixed’ responses to the proposition.

Though the responses found that introducing a wood waste landfill restriction could ‘move wood waste up the waste hierarchy’, improve collection and sorting infrastructure, create ‘legal certainty’ (which could ‘drive innovation and investment in infrastructure’) and create ‘more producer responsibility leading to less waste’, there was reportedly a general feeling that legislating now would be premature and that a continuation of landfill tax would suffice in the meantime.

‘Landfill tax remains the key driver for diverting wood waste from landfill and had widespread support among the responses. Some respondents thought the continuation of the landfill tax escalator would effectively divert wood waste from landfill and negate the need for a restriction’, reads the analysis of the responses.

Break down of responses

The document goes on to show that local authority bodies were against the restrictions due to concerns about ‘enforcement, collection, sorting capability, and administration burden’, and while energy companies and construction and demolition organisations were in favour of the ban, they voiced concern that ‘introducing any additional legislation will be an additional cost burden’.

Further, the timber trade organisations argued that rather than implementing a ban, there should be ‘improved infrastructure for collection and disposal’ and further government assistance with exploring ‘other routes’ such as segregation at source and recycling (instead of energy from waste).

Environmental interest groups were in the main, supportive of a restriction as a way of diverting wood waste from landfill more quickly, but said that it should be ‘part of a wider consideration in the disposal and management of biogenic waste’.

Defining wood waste

Other concerns raised by respondents included a need to further define what was meant by ‘wood waste’ and to ensure legislation was not ‘put in place too early’ as that could lead to ‘an increase in informal burning, fly tipping and illegal exports’.

In conclusion, the report found that ‘analysis suggests that wood waste to landfill is likely to continue to decline without further government intervention’.

‘A restriction in this present economic climate is likely to impose additional costs on businesses, especially SME’s [sic – small and medium enterprises]. Therefore we do not believe that this is the right time to introduce a restriction on wood waste to landfill.

‘We will review and monitor the wood waste area closely and in addition we plan to carry out work to address the remaining gaps in our evidence knowledge base, alongside the action underway by the Environment Agency (EA) and WRAP which will help to manage wood waste’, the document concluded.

Read the consultation responses and Defra’s analysis document.

Food waste landfill ban

The responses to the wood waste consultation come hot on the heels of mounting pressure for a consultation on banning food waste from landfill.

Speaking at the House of Lords earlier this week (12 February), Baroness Jenkin of Kennington highlighted that food waste costs the average UK household £640 a year, and asked Resource Minister Lord de Mauley what ‘plans [government] has to encourage a reduction in domestic food waste’.

Citing WRAP’s ‘Love food, Hate Waste’ campaign in promoting the message of reducing domestic waste and the Courtauld Commitment for reducing commercial waste, the Resource Minister said that through the Waste Review,reducing food waste was a ‘priority’.

‘The waste review sets food waste as a priority, outlining the government's commitment to tackle it by focusing on waste prevention. The government are working through agreements with food retailers, manufacturers and the hospitality sector to reduce food waste. We are helping households waste less and save money through WRAP's "Love Food, Hate Waste" campaign’, he said.

When asked by former Environment Secretary Lord Deben if it is ‘not time [organic waste] was banned from landfill’ as creating methane from landfilling food waste is ‘seriously dangerous’, de Mauley said that government is ‘committed to reviewing the case for restrictions on sending particular materials to landfill over the course of this Parliament, including looking specifically at textiles and biodegradable waste’.

He added: ‘We are focusing on collecting the evidence. Our experience from working on wood has shown us that a good understanding of the data, waste streams, markets and other issues are vital to making informed decisions.

‘Before making proposals on restricting any particular materials, the government will need to be content that that is the best-value way of moving material up the waste hierarchy and that the costs to businesses – and, indeed, to the public sector – are affordable’.

Decreasing the amount of food waste produced by households and the supply chain has gained increasing support recently, after a report from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers found that between 30 and 50 per cent of all food produced around the world is never consumed by humans.

Read more about food waste.