MP for Copeland Trudy Harrison has been announced as Minister for Waste and Resources. The MP was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in Defra on 7 September 2022 as part of Liz Truss’ new cabinet.
She was previously Minister of State and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport (DfT) and has now been replaced by Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP. She was elected Conservative MP for Copeland in 2017.
Harrison will take over from Steve Double, MP for St Austell and Newquay, who was appointed to the role in July and announced his departure on Facebook, saying: “I have been informed that the new prime minister no longer has place for me in her Government”.
Prior to her political career, Harrison worked at Sellafield as a technical clerk before setting up and running a childcare business. She first became involved in politics through Copeland Borough Council. In 2013 she worked as a Programme Manager for investors specialising in renewable energy and sustainable community projects.
Harrison has publicly backed nuclear power in the UK – she released a statement on her website backing outgoing PM Boris Johnson’s funding for the Sizewell C nuclear site and encouraged Truss to ‘crack on and deliver’. In the same statement, she also reaffirmed her backing of renewable energy.
Industry response
Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) welcomed the new appointment, saying they ‘look forward to working with the new Minister’. LARAC members make up over 300 of the 400 UK Local Authorities.
LARAC said: “[we] are keen ‘to hear how she will re-invigorate the various policies outlined in the 2018 Resources & Waste Strategy, given that impetus seems to have been lost and timescales squeezed with delays to some of the consultation responses and lack of detailed information”.
The Chartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM) has also welcomed the appointment and has said they look forward to developing ‘a close working relationship’.
CIWM said: “CIWM would urge the new Minister to prioritise publishing the responses to the Government’s DRS and Consistency consultations that are now long overdue.
“Progress on these key policy areas, alongside EPR, needs to be urgently reinvigorated to ensure we don’t lose momentum and fall further behind schedule.
“CIWM has been at the heart of the discussions on these policies and looks forward to supporting the Minister as they develop the final policy positions and progress to implementation.”
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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.