Skip to content

Response to Parliamentary inquiry: ADBA calls for ban on biodegradeables to landfill in England

ADBA’s response to a parliamentary inquiry on waste management policy in England has been submitted, making a strong case for England to follow Scotland’s example with a phased ban on biodegradable waste to landfill, with separate food waste collections rolled out alongside such a ban.

Our response stated that:

ADBA believes that a ban on sending biodegradable waste to landfill, accompanied by separate food waste collections is both desirable and feasible in England. Such legislation, introduced through a phased approach, would encourage the development of infrastructure to deal with the waste diverted from landfill, such as AD, while providing economic opportunities through the supply chain. ADBA believes that government must closely explore the lessons from Scotland, where the devolved administration has introduced legislation banning the sending of organic waste to landfill by 2020, alongside mandating separate food waste collections for both councils and businesses.

Looking more broadly at waste collection policy, we argued that a lack of joined up policy between Defra and DCLG should be tackled through the establishment of an Office for Resource Management, which would sit across government and provide strategic oversight on crucial resource management issues that fall outside Defra’s direct remit.

We also set out that Defra’s work in the AD and waste management sectors remained vital, particularly their work, along with WRAP, to collate robust data on national waste infrastructure.

Our response to the inquiry also gave backing to more ambitious recycling targets, on the basis of the certainty this provides to investors looking to deliver capital intensive new waste infrastructure.

ADBA’s full response to the inquiry can be viewed here.

Back To Top