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Waste pilots - Consultation on draft recycling service guidance

DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (Information Bulletin ref : 303/08) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 15 September 2008

The Government is seeking further views on draft guidance for local authorities wishing to pilot schemes to cut household waste through financial incentives.

Defra consulted informally on six pieces of guidance in June this year, covering application and designation, technical issues, finance, coverage and disadvantaged groups, fly tipping prevention, and recycling service.

Further formal consultation is now taking place on the recycling service guidance. This has a different legal status to the other guidance, since the legislation makes it a precondition that any authority running an incentive pilot has a "good recycling service" in place. The definition of a 'good' service proposed in the guidance applies only to the incentive pilots, and is not intended as a more general definition.

Comments and any queries should be sent to waste.incentives@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Updated versions of the guidance will be published once the Climate Change Bill has received Royal Assent.

Notes to Editors

1. The draft consultation is available on the Defra website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/recycling-service/index.htm.

2. In response to requests from local authorities, Defra announced in November 2007 that it would allow up to five local authorities in England to pilot incentive schemes. The first pilots, which will be subject to approval by the Environment Secretary, could start from April 2009.

3. Waste incentive schemes can reward or charge people according to the amount of black bag rubbish a household produces. Schemes could be rebate-only, offering rewards to those producing the least waste, or could be charge-and-rebate based, levying charges on those who do not do their bit. Schemes must be 'revenue neutral', so any money raised through charges must be paid back to residents as rewards. Local authorities would not be able to keep any of the revenue themselves.

4. A summary of responses to a 2007 consultation on waste incentives is at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/strategy/incentives/index.htm.

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