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| Waste and Resources Strategy for England | |
|---|---|
| Title | Waste and Resources Strategy for England |
| Jurisdiction | England |
| Issued by | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
| Date | 2018 |
| Status | Active |
Waste and Resources Strategy for England presents a national policy framework issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that sets targets and measures for municipal, industrial and hazardous waste management across England. The Strategy aligns with statutory instruments and international commitments while coordinating implementation with devolved administrations, regulatory agencies and local authorities. It aims to shift resource flows toward circular approaches and reduce landfill reliance through market instruments, standards and infrastructure investment.
The Strategy was developed within the policy lineage that includes the Environment Act 1995, the European Waste Framework Directive, the Landfill Directive, the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997, and follow-on measures tied to the Paris Agreement and Kyoto Protocol commitments. Its drafting drew on consultations involving stakeholders such as Resource Association, Waste and Resources Action Programme, Local Government Association, Environment Agency, Natural England and industry groups including Confederation of British Industry and Federation of Small Businesses. Prior policy moments informing the Strategy included the Waste Strategy 2007 and the regulatory reviews that accompanied the Brexit transition arrangements coordinated with the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury. Technical inputs referenced research from institutions like University of Manchester, Cranfield University, Imperial College London and international bodies such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the United Nations Environment Programme.
The Strategy sets cross-cutting objectives aimed at waste prevention, increased reuse, higher recycling rates, and material recovery for municipal, commercial and industrial streams while managing hazardous waste. It frames ambitions consistent with obligations under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and aligns with targets promoted by the World Bank and International Solid Waste Association. The scope covers packaging via schemes that involve Ellen MacArthur Foundation principles, electrical goods tied to Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive obligations, construction and demolition contingents that engage standards influenced by British Standards Institution, and organic waste streams linked to Compost Standards and Anaerobic Digestion technologies.
Key measures include reforming producer responsibility regimes building on models used in Germany, introducing consistent household recycling collections inspired by trials in Wales and Scotland, promoting separate food waste collection as practiced in cities such as Milan and Zurich, and incentivising remanufacturing through tax and procurement instruments akin to initiatives by European Investment Bank programmes. The Strategy endorses landfill diversion via economic instruments resembling Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme concepts and supports capital investment in materials recovery facilities similar to projects financed by the Public Works Loan Board. Implementation relies on partnerships with bodies like Local Partnerships, private waste operators such as Veolia, SUEZ, and Biffa, and research collaborations with Energy Technologies Institute and Catapult centres.
Regulatory enforcement is led by the Environment Agency with local delivery through unitary authorities and district councils coordinated by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Legal instruments referenced include statutory guidance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and amendments administered through the Health and Safety Executive for waste handling workplaces, and permitting regimes that echo frameworks used by the European Chemicals Agency for hazardous constituents. Institutional governance incorporates oversight from parliamentary committees such as the Environmental Audit Committee and reporting obligations to international bodies including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Projected environmental impacts include reduced greenhouse gas emissions measurable against Committee on Climate Change scenarios, lower leakage of persistent pollutants tracked by monitoring programmes from Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, and anticipated biodiversity benefits in line with metrics used by Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Economically, the Strategy forecasts job creation in reuse and recycling sectors drawing on analyses by McKinsey & Company, Institute for Public Policy Research, and ONS labour statistics, while affecting supply chains that involve major retailers such as Tesco and Sainsbury's and manufacturers represented by Make UK. Fiscal effects consider implications for public finance tracked by HM Treasury and market adjustments observed by Competition and Markets Authority.
Critiques emerged from organisations including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and think tanks like Adam Smith Institute regarding perceived insufficiency of targets, pace of delivery, and reliance on voluntary schemes used historically in the Packaging Recovery Note system. Industry stakeholders referenced transitional costs similar to disputes seen in Energy market reforms and legal challenges akin to cases heard before the High Court of Justice. Academic commentators from London School of Economics and University College London noted evidence gaps comparable to debates over carbon capture and storage deployment and coordination challenges across English and devolved jurisdictional boundaries exemplified by prior frictions between Whitehall departments.
Monitoring mechanisms rely on statutory data collection from local authorities reported to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and audit activities by the National Audit Office and Office for Environmental Protection. Performance indicators mirror international pathways used by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reporting and the United Nations Statistical Commission. Future directions outlined in follow-up initiatives propose strengthened producer responsibility instruments, expanded mandatory collections, and alignment with circular economy metrics promoted by the European Environment Agency and World Economic Forum, with implementation phases subject to scrutiny by bodies such as Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.
Category:Environmental policy of England