Summarising Defra's waste prevention policy paper

Defra last Friday (28 July) released a policy paper outlining its plans to prevent waste in England.

The policy paper titled 'The waste prevention programme for England: Maximising Resources, Minimising Waste' acknowledges that given the finite nature of our resources, it's critical to maximise the use of these resources and minimise their waste.

The paper outlines the government's commitment to changing society's relationship with resources as defined in the 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy – which sets out to eliminate avoidable waste by 2050.

The paper acknowledges the setback caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as people reverted to single-use plastics for health protection. However, it emphasises the need to reclaim the ground lost and make reducing and reusing the norm.

The paper outlines three cross-cutting themes for their policy approach:

The policy paper outlines several measures to address waste and promote a circular economy. For example, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging places the cost of managing packaging waste on the producer. The government is also considering the expansion of EPR to other product streams, including textiles, furniture, and certain complex electricals.

Other notable mentions include a review of the Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products Regulations to potentially include resource efficiency standards. This could lead to more environmentally friendly product designs, although the effectiveness of these measures will depend on their implementation and enforcement.

In the consumer goods sector, the Right to Repair law has been introduced, requiring manufacturers to make spare parts available to consumers. This could potentially extend the lifespan of products and reduce waste, but the impact will depend on consumer behaviour and the affordability and availability of these spare parts.

The government is also considering a 'modulated plastic packaging tax' to encourage the use of recycled content in plastic packaging. This could potentially reduce plastic waste, but the success of this measure will depend on the response from manufacturers and the market for recycled plastics.

In the food and drink sector, the policy paper outlines the introduction of mandatory reporting of food surplus and waste for certain food businesses and repeats the commitment to halving food waste by 2030. Support for initiatives such as the 'Love Food Hate Waste' campaign and the 'Food Waste Reduction Roadmap' is also indicated.

The paper also discusses the need for public consultation on any new policy proposed in this programme, considering impacts on public expenditure, the cost to business, and consumer choice and affordability.

It also discusses the relationship of this programme with the wider environmental and economic goals of the government, including the goal to double the resource productivity of the economy by 2050, protect natural capital, and contribute to goals in areas such as natural capital, greenhouse gas emissions, economic resilience, and jobs and growth.

In total, seven key sectors were selected for action based on the amount of waste they produce or their known carbon emissions from production. These sectors are construction, textiles, furniture, electronics, vehicles, plastic and packaging, and food. Resource has provided a summary of each sector below.

Section five of the policy paper focuses on the reduction of construction waste and the increase in the reuse of construction materials. The UK construction sector is identified as the most resource-intensive and waste-generating sector, producing over 60 million tonnes of non-hazardous waste each year in England. The government acknowledges that a significant portion of this waste is inefficiently used, leading to unnecessary energy consumption and carbon emissions.

The policy paper outlines steps that have already been taken to address the issue of construction waste. For instance, the Green Construction Board Taskforce, a Routemap to Zero Avoidable Waste in Construction – which was published in July 2021 – outlines actions for pre-construction design, use of materials in construction, and demolition practices. The Aggregates Levy, introduced in 2002, is also in place to encourage the reuse of aggregate materials.

Looking ahead, Defra plans to support the Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centres for Mineral-based Construction Materials (ICEC-MCM) and Metals (CircularMetal) as part of the four-year £30 million National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) Programme. It also plans to work with the industry to explore policy interventions that would encourage greater reuse and use of recycled materials in construction products. Other initiatives include the development of a soil reuse and storage depot scheme, the promotion of green procurement, and the exploration of embodied carbon assessment and reduction for new builds.

Section six looks at reducing textile waste and promoting the circular economy within the textile and fashion industry. The primary objectives are to decrease the amount of textiles ending up as residual waste, stimulate a profitable textile recycling industry, and encourage the adoption of circular business models such as resale, rental, and repair.

The textile industry is recognised as being resource-intensive, contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and waste. In 2017, over 1 million tonnes of textiles were estimated to be disposed of in household and commercial municipal residual waste in England alone.

One of the government’s key strategies to reduce textiles waste is to fund a pilot to develop a model for an Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for textiles. This pilot will be developed in collaboration with leading trade bodies including the UK Fashion and Textiles Association, the British Fashion Council, and the British Retail Consortium.

Defra also plans to develop a textiles waste hierarchy, providing guidance to businesses managing textiles and fashion products and materials. The intention is to explore the possibility of putting the textiles hierarchy on a firm statutory footing, thereby giving it a stronger legislative basis.

The government also intends to enhance voluntary action to reduce textiles waste which is says will be achieved by continuing to fund Textiles 2030, a programme aimed at reducing carbon and water footprints and accelerating action on circularity. The programme will be expanded to tackle overproduction and waste through a target, measure, act approach.

Furthermore, the government has funded the Interdisciplinary Textiles Circularity Centre, a four-year, £5.4 million research programme. This programme is designed to boost innovation in the development of renewable textile materials from post-consumer textiles and household waste.

Finally, through the UK Research and Innovation’s Circular Fashion Programme, the government will fund £15 million to drive action to tackle some of the industry’s biggest challenges in adopting circular business models.

Over 861,000 tonnes of furniture were estimated to be disposed of in household and commercial municipal residual waste in England in 2017, constituting around 3.4 per cent by weight of all municipal waste. The environmental impact of furniture and furnishings is significant, with greenhouse gas emissions associated with the consumption of these items amounting to 8.7Mt CO2e in 2019, almost 1.5 per cent of the UK’s total consumption-based footprint.

The government recognises the potential for waste reduction and resource efficiency in the furniture industry. It notes that 80 to 90 per cent of the environmental impacts in the lifecycle of furniture items are linked to the design and components of the products. The use of a variety of materials, composite materials, and high chemical content can significantly limit opportunities at the end of life.

Defra says that is has already undertaken research to explore requirements for improved labelling and consumer information for furniture, to support more sustainable product choices. It says it has ‘set an example’ for this through its Greening Government Commitments and Government Buying Standards, for stationary, equipment, and furniture.

The department says it aims to encourage sharing of best practice on product design and take-back systems, through trade associations, voluntary agreements, and industry standards. It also plans to develop best practice guidance for local authorities to encourage reuse through Household Waste Recycling Centres and bulky waste collections.

Alongside this, the government is considering policy options including ecodesign, consumer information and Extended Producer Responsibility for furniture. The aim of these would be to reduce furniture waste and increase recycling by incentivising more environmentally sound design of furniture and furnishings. Defra has commissioned research, to be completed in 2023, to help assess the most appropriate policy options and the scope of a potential policy framework.

Finally, the government plans to continue to address green procurement making use of the National Procurement Policy Statement. This is relevant to furniture on the government estate. It will also consult on proposals to remove fees for consumers to have bulky domestic furniture collected from their homes by 2025.

Defra aims to increase the reuse, repair, and remanufacture of electrical and electronic products, and to design out waste using eco-design principles. The UK generated approximately 23.9kg per capita of electrical and electronic waste in 2019, and while the country has performed well in terms of collections for recycling, there is a need to increase waste prevention.

The government also acknowledges the challenge of increasing rates of reuse, repair, and remanufacture due to dominant linear business models. High costs, lack of consumer trust in second-hand goods, and a lack of awareness of how to treat products at the end of their life are identified as further challenges.

The policy paper outlines that the UK Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations have fostered improvements to levels of collection and proper treatment of electrical and electronic equipment. The government has also introduced new ecodesign requirements for a range of appliances and products, setting higher Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and measures to increase the repairability and recyclability of products.

Within 2023, Defra plans to consult on reforms to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations. The consultation will explore ways to increase collections of waste electricals from households and businesses for reuse and recycling. It will also consider how to ensure producers, including those selling electricals through online marketplaces, take greater responsibility for their products when they become waste.

Defra also plans to work with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on the future implementation of minimum ecodesign requirements in Great Britain. It will consider ways to provide consumers and businesses with information on the environmental performance of electrical and electronic products, focusing on material resource efficiency aspects such as durability, reparability, and recyclability.

The policy paper says that Defra will continue to work with the Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre for Technology Metals (Met4Tech) as part of the four-year £30 million National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) Programme, concluding at the end of 2024.

In the realm of road vehicles, the government's aim is to explore means of increasing reuse, repair, and remanufacture, in addition to design considerations such as light-weighting, to reduce waste in this sector and contribute towards Net Zero by 2050.

Defra acknowledges the significant emissions associated with the manufacture of new cars. It is noted that the extraction and processing of materials and the manufacturing process to make a standard combustion engine car contribute approximately a fifth of the emissions resulting from its use, over a lifespan of 14 years.

The policy paper also recognises the potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions through resource efficiency policies. Modelling by the Waste and Resources Action Programme and the University of Leeds (2022) found a potential reduction in territorial greenhouse gas emissions relating to vehicle production of 26MtCO2e between 2021 and 2050.

The transition from vehicles powered purely by internal combustion engines to hybrid and fully electric powertrains is accelerating. The government has announced the end of sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2030. This transition creates new challenges regarding reuse as well as management of batteries, and it is essential that new EV models and technologies contribute toward the shift to a circular and resource-efficient economy.

The policy paper explains steps that have been taken to improve the treatment of scrap vehicles and increase recycling and recovery rates. Data shows the recycling rate for end-of-life vehicles rose 20 per cent from 1999 to 2018, with overall waste to landfill falling more than 95 per cent over the same period.

In terms of future plans, the government intends to bring forward proposals to reform the batteries regulations by the end of 2023 – seeking to legislate from 2024 onwards with partial implementation from 2025. These reforms aim to address imbalances in the current operation of the regulations, keep pace with progress in battery technology, and position the UK’s regulatory regime to capitalise on the expected growth in electric vehicle batteries.

The government has also committed £541 million to the Faraday Battery Challenge, to support the commitment to transition to electric vehicles by 2035 and to put the UK at the global forefront of the design, development, and manufacturing of electric batteries.

The policy paper outlines the progress so far in reducing waste and promoting sustainability in the realm of packaging, plastics and single-use items.

To date, Defra has implemented measures such as the plastic packaging tax, which encourages the use of recycled plastic instead of new plastic, and Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging, which holds producers accountable for the costs of managing their products at the end of their life.

One of the key outlined strategies for the future is to promote the use of reusable items and discourage the use of single-use items. The paper refers to the plans to introduce a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers, which will incentivise consumers to return their empty drinks containers for recycling.

In addition, the government is also considering measures to reduce the environmental impact of disposable cups and takeaway food containers. This includes potential charges similar to the carrier bag charge. It also plans to review and potentially extend the single-use carrier bag charge to all retailers, to further reduce the use of single-use plastic bags.

Defra has also announced the introduction of new regulations for certain types of packaging. This includes a ban on the sale of plastic straws, stirrers, and cotton buds, as well as restrictions on the sale of plastic plates, cutlery, and polystyrene cups. It is also considering introducing a ban on the export of plastic waste to non-OECD countries, to ensure that UK plastic waste is dealt with responsibly.

In the area of food and drink, Defra says it is preventing waste through a series of voluntary agreements with food businesses and consumer campaigns since 2007, managed WRAP. The latest of these, the Courtauld Commitment 2030, brings together organisations across the supply chain to reduce food waste to approach the targets in Sustainable Development Goal 12.3.

The government has made a £15 million pilot fund available for 2019 to 2020 to support the redistribution of surplus food and reduce waste. The Resource Action Fund delivered by WRAP included a programme of grants to provide small- and large-scale capital infrastructure and revenue support to organisations redistributing surplus food from the likes of retailers and food manufacturers.

In 2021, the government established the Hospitality Sector Council which was set up to co-create ideas and solutions with the hospitality sector to support the delivery of the Hospitality Strategy. This includes working with the Council to repurpose, reuse and divert food waste; support the sector to minimise use of single-use items and packaging; and promoting and supporting innovative wetland systems for breweries to reduce water waste.

In the future, Defra says it plans to provide over £1 million in funding from 2023 to 2024 to support consumer campaigns to help households waste less food. Reducing food waste in the home could help to save the average family with children up to £60 every month.

Through WRAP, the government will also tackle food waste through campaigns including Love Food Hate Waste and Food Waste Action Week, which support consumers to reduce food waste in their homes, saving people money and bringing environmental benefits.

It will continue to work with the hospitality industry including through the Hospitality Sector Council on co-creating ideas and solutions to tackling waste and the Guardians of Grub campaign which is aimed at raising the profile of food waste prevention in the hospitality industry supporting the reduction of food waste in the preparation and serving of food.