Michael Gove wants weekly food waste collections and simplified recycling – what does this mean for East Sussex?

This week the Government launched a series of consultations to overhaul the waste system across the UK.
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A key initiative is that councils would be obliged to provide separate weekly food waste collections for every household in England – something that at the moment only Lewes District Council offers.

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The Government also wants to ‘end confusion over household recycling’ – creating a consistent set of recyclable materials which will be collected from all households and businesses, as well as consistent labelling on packaging so consumers know what they can recycle.

Under the initiative councils would be obliged to provide separate weekly food waste collectionsUnder the initiative councils would be obliged to provide separate weekly food waste collections
Under the initiative councils would be obliged to provide separate weekly food waste collections

On top of this, environment secretary Michael Gove is looking at the possibility of free garden waste collections for households, seeking views on the idea of introducing a ‘deposit return scheme’ for cans and bottles, as well as launching a consultation on the introduction of a tax on plastic packaging which does not meet a minimum threshold of at least 30 per cent recycled content.

Mr Gove said: “We are committed to going further and faster to reduce, reuse, recycle and cut waste. That’s why we are leading the way to move away from being a ‘throw-away’ society and drive up domestic recycling.

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“Through our plans we will introduce a world-leading tax to boost recycled content in plastic packaging, make producers foot the bill for handling their packaging waste, and end the confusion over household recycling.

Environment secretary Michael Gove - Picture: NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty ImagesEnvironment secretary Michael Gove - Picture: NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty Images
Environment secretary Michael Gove - Picture: NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty Images

“We are committed to cementing our place as a world leader in resource efficiency, so we can be the first generation to leave our environment in a better state than we inherited it.”

The changes will make up a key part of the government’s upcoming Environment Bill.

What does this mean for our local councils?

When the idea for separate weekly food waste collections and disposing of garden waste for free was first mentioned a week before Christmas, the newspaper asked the various district and borough councils what they thought, with many saying they were waiting for further clarity and detail, although raised the question as to how it would be funded.

Would you like to see weekly food waste collections?Would you like to see weekly food waste collections?
Would you like to see weekly food waste collections?

Read the original article here:

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Food waste collections could be rolled out across East Sussex under Government strategy

Now, under the new strategy, Mr Gove this week revealed a bit more about how he plans to fund the scheme, stating he hopes to finance more regular collections by demanding that manufacturers pay for them.

It is hoped that by switching the burden of cost over to producers it will encourage them to use sustainable packaging.

The scheme could then raise between £800 million and £1 billion a year for recycling as well as for rubbish collection.

Join in the consultation

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The Government is running the consultation for 12 weeks, with the closing date on May 13.

Links to the consultations are below: