Back in October 2019, before the general election in December saw a sweeping Conservative victory, the government published a wide and varied Environment Bill statement. The Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons unopposed before Parliament was dissolved for the election. 2020 should see the Environment Bill progress through the system until it becomes law.
Here at Rabbit, the new Bill’s focus on finding a new direction for resources and waste management is particularly relevant to us. But what does the policy paper propose and does it tackle the challenges of the UK waste industry? Here are three areas the Bill addresses.
Addressing single use plastics
Resources and waste measures in the Bill are designed to help move towards a more circular economic model. This will involve new government powers to drive a shift towards products that can be more easily recycled, products that last longer and which can be re-used and repaired more easily.
From April 2020, there will be a ban on plastic straws, drinks stirrers, and plastic stemmed cotton buds in England. There are also plans to establish deposit return schemes that incentivise consumers to reduce litter and recycle more.
Better information for consumers
The Environment Bill aims to support the market for more sustainable products by introducing clearer product labelling, enabling consumers to identify products that are more durable, reparable and recyclable. Crucially, it will inform them on how to dispose of used products. At Rabbit, we recycle as much as possible from our skips, sorting plastics and metals before generating green electricity using our Energy from Waste facility. But there are items that cannot go into skips, such as batteries and electrical items.
The end of fly tipping?
Fly tipping is a major problem, costing the UK economy around £600million per year. The Bill looks to take steps to crack down on illegal waste activities, improving the management of waste. These measures will ensure all businesses are adopting legitimate waste management practices.
Consumers need to dispose of their waste responsibly, either taking items that can’t be taken by their household collections to their local recycling centre, or hiring a skip for convenient and responsible waste disposal.
To find out more about skip hire in West Sussex and our Energy from Waste Facility, contact Rabbit. Reach us on 01903 762020 or email info@rabbitgroup.co.uk.
