In recent years under the coalition government, waste strategy policy in England has stalled and today’s Conservative government faces some tough challenges to achieve the 50 per cent recycling target by 2020 in light of England’s flat-lining recycling rate. This could be further challenged following on from a plenary vote on 9 July that saw members of European Parliament vote in favour of a resolution that would bring in legally-binding recycling targets for member states as part of the European Commission’s revised Circular Economy Package.

Yet, within this resolution, reuse is notable largely through its absence. Indeed, earlier this year, Rreuse – the European platform representing social enterprises that are active in reuse, repair and recycling – issued a document calling for the European Commission to include greater provisions for reuse in the Circular Economy Package.

Although the importance of recycling must not be understated, the continued overriding focus on recycling means that reuse is in danger of being forgotten.

Refocusing higher up the waste hierarchy

Without a collective refocusing higher up the waste hierarchy, the net result is that a significant environmental and economic opportunity will be missed. We are already in a situation where industry, national and local government, and the general public are so focused on recycling, that we are actually preventing reuse from gaining traction.

It is a situation which makes little financial sense and one that is compounded by outdated legislation, namely the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which makes it unnecessarily difficult to reuse rather than recycle appropriate items.

A significant percentage of what households currently dispose of is not actually waste and therefore should not be recycled – the inherent value in many items means that it makes far more sense economically to reuse than to recycle.

Despite this, reuse continues to make good business for some, notably charity shops and the traditional second-hand trading posts. It has been estimated that charities, social enterprises and other third sector organisations benefit from reuse by as much as £430 million per year, and it has become a significant driver in the resource management strategy for FCC Environment.

A presumption to reuse

But to realise the full potential of reuse, a change in legislation is required that makes it possible for waste and resource management companies to operate more effectively and fulfil wider environmental, as well as economic, commitments. Only with that change in legislation, can we move from a presumption to dispose (and recycle), to a presumption to reuse.

This also requires a pragmatic approach in terms of the remit of waste and resource management companies. These companies can only sell items suitable for reuse – refurbishment must take place further along the supply chain. In addition, the waste and resource management sector cannot take responsibility for the buyer’s actions. It is a concern that has always dogged the subject of reuse, yet the purchase of items by unscrupulous businesses can be addressed relatively simply by pricing those items at a level which removes the possibility of financial gain. This effectively prevents goods intended for reuse being bought and later sold as waste.

Similarly, the movement of waste to foreign countries is beyond the scope or control of the waste and resource management sector. This trade must be subject to the proper controls and auditing, by the relevant authorities.

To achieve a real step change, not only is a change in legislation required, but guidance for local authorities as well as the general public is necessary, while a reuse standard that sets out how waste and resource management companies operate could instil confidence and further improve reuse rates. However, any such standard must be produced with pragmatism – more red tape is not what the industry needs.

Driving the behavioural change required is a long-term process, but one that the is shifts eminently achievable given the shift in attitude towards recycling. Communications initiatives have a significant role to play and with the right infrastructure in place – facilitated by new legislation – the waste and resource management industry can tackle many of the more problematic issues impacting on reuse participation, such as the storage and collection of bulky items.

Taking the next step

The shift from disposing unwanted goods as waste to treating them as a valuable resource is one of the great cultural changes of recent years – it underpins FCC Environment’s business strategy. But it is time to take the next step and realise the scale of the economic, social and environmental opportunity that reuse presents.

Find out more about FCC Environment's reuse work.

Steve Bell is Reuse Development Manager at FCC Environment.