The UK retail industry has poured scorn on the Government’s recently published review of waste policy.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) says the Waste Review is ‘disappointing’, lacking a clear programme of delivery, an over-emphasis on carrying out future consultations and reviews and ‘sharing best-practice’ but little in terms of concrete action or leadership.
The coalition’s Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman says it will unlock ‘economic opportunities of transforming waste to resource’. However, the BRC believes it fails to address adequately the big issues of reducing food waste going to landfill, consistency of recycling services and ‘on the go’ recycling.
“After a long wait, this Waste Review is a disappointment,” says Bob Gordon, British Retail Consortium Head of Environment. “The review promised to look at what policies are needed to reduce the amount of waste generated and to maximise reuse and recycling. Where are those policies?”
Retailers claim to have halved the amount of waste their own businesses send to landfill over the past five years and are aiming to send less than 15% to landfill by 2013.