Local authorities should be banned from sending food waste to landfill sites to help combat England’s ‘throwaway society’, according to MPs.
A report by the environmental audit committee said regulations should be introduced so that food waste is separated and sent for organic recycling – similar to Ireland and Scotland.
Less than 6% of food waste is currently diverted from landfill this way.
The overall recycling rate has hit a plateau in recent years, said the committee, and currently stands at 43%. MPs called on the Government to support EU proposals to increase recycling to 70% by 2030.
The committee also wants councils to be issued with guidance to standardise recycling collections so that they all include separation systems. This would put an end to ‘the vast array of different area-by-area recycling regimes in England is confusing, sub-scale and makes it harder for companies to access valuable materials that could be reused’, it said.
Committee chair Joan Walley said a ban on sending food waste to landfill together with measures such as lower VAT on recycled products could help to create a more ‘circular economy’.
‘The good news is that with the right Government support we can stimulate UK manufacturing, create jobs, grow our GDP and reduce our environmental footprint. We have to create a more circular economy that rewards innovative businesses, values natural capital, and is resilient in the face of rising global resource prices,’ she said.
Mrs Walley added: ‘It is possible to get recycling rates to nearly 70% as other European countries and some UK councils have demonstrated. There is about 3% to 5% of waste that you cannot avoid landfilling at the moment, but with better product design even that might be eliminated.’
