A three-month consultation has just begun which is looking at ways for barriers to be unblocked for delivering waste management systems to infrastructure in the south-east of England and the capital. The consultation is due to look at the various issues that are preventing new recycling facilities from being built in this part of the country.
Much of the focus here so far has been about domestic waste, and the consultation is going to be looking at ways of improving the recycling situation in this part of the country. Currently, targets are not being met for landfill diversion, and this consultation is going to be looking at ways to improve recycling numbers so that additional recycling happens that helps the area meet its targets.
The Department of Environment conducted a survey in 2009 which showed that businesses were still sending a great deal of excess waste to landfill. It is important that people realise that there is an increasing need for more recycling facilities in this part of the country. This will help businesses prevent things being sent to landfill.
A recent study by Defra has estimated that over £23 billion could be saved by businesses every year if they focused on reducing the amount of waste they were producing, and increasing the amount they recycle. Unfortunately there are a large number of barriers that exist preventing businesses from doing just that. Funding and planning are two oft cited reasons why recycling is not taking place on an adequate scale.
In order to tackle the problem the government has just announced that it is going to be investing £80 million in waste projects including reprocessing and waste recycling facilities. This should help reduce some of the barriers for companies that want to improve their recycling and reuse rates.
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