Waste Prevention Plan gets December release date

The long-awaited Waste Prevention Plan for England is set to be published in December of this year, Defra Resource Minister Lord de Mauley announced today.


The minister confirmed its release date during a brief speech at a European Pathway to Zero Waste (EPOW) event hosted by LRS Consultancy in London, and said that a call for evidence to inform its policy direction would be issued within “the next few weeks”.

The fact that the paper won’t be released until the end of the year has dismayed some within the waste industry, who feel the Government has been lagging behind on such a key issue.

On hearing the news, waste planning consultant Deborah Sacks who was at the event tweeted: “I thought I heard him wrongly! How can the Waste Prevention Plan take another year??”

Some have also been speculating on the language that might be used within the plan as the Government looks to reframe the context of waste management as a resource-led opportunity.

“What’s the betting the word ‘waste’ won’t get a mention?,” one senior source told edie.

During his speech – which had to be cut short due to the ongoing horsemeat scandal – Lord de Mauley referred to waste prevention as being a key economic driver for UK plc, with the potential to save businesses billions of pounds a year.

One area the plan is almost certain to prioritise is food waste. One possibility is that it will set out a series of actions to encourage the waste sector to work more closely with organisations, businesses and local communities to implement stronger minimisation measures.

Maxine Perella

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