ACS

The House of Lords Science Committee have called on the Government to extend its efforts on waste reduction from solely making demands of consumers, and to concentrate on reducing the high waste levels of companies.

The committee's report, Waste Reduction, calls on the Government to restructure local authority waste targets which currently focus on decreasing the weight of domestic waste sent to landfill. The committee call for a more 'holistic' approach to waste reduction by amending the costs and targets imposed on local authorities to allow them to address commercial and industrial waste, by providing support and more efficient disposal facilities to business.

The committee also recommend that the Government should take steps centrally to ensure as much as possible is being done to encourage businesses of all sizes to reduce waste. They assert that reducing waste levels will save money and make British business more competitive internationally. They recommend that Government take the lead in introducing true individual producer responsibility, to encourage companies to take their own duty to reduce waste seriously.

The report also calls on the Government to look at the VAT regime and to consider amending it to introduce variable VAT rates so products which use sustainable materials and less virgin raw resources, are made a more economically attractive proposition. They also suggest VAT rates for servicing and repairing existing products is looked at and possibly reduced. They say that such a change could lead to manufacturers adapting their business model to encourage more sustainable consumption amongst their customers. The committee looked at the growth of 'fast fashion' and point out that the increased use of cheap fabrics for clothes intended to be worn for a short period of time and then thrown away makes recycling of fabric more difficult and is reflective of an increasing 'throwaway society'.

Commenting Lord O'Neill, who chaired the Lords science sub-committee on waste reduction, said: "There has been an impressive increase in recycling of domestic waste in the last few years but that only represents a tiny fraction of all waste generated in the UK. It is time for the government to move its priorities from household waste to the far greater problem of industrial and commercial waste.”