Waste experts reject criticism of local authority waste services
The Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) hits back at council waste service criticism
The Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) has said that a recent report published by the Renewable Energy Association (REA), claiming that local authority food waste collection services were “self-serving”, should not be accepted as fact.
The report published in recent weeks by the REA suggests that food waste collection services provided by councils across England and Wales do not reflect what could really be achieved under the right circumstances.
Click above to read the report from REA
The report, titled The Real Economic Benefit of Separate Biowaste Collections, said that “greater industry wide collaboration and more engagement with local authorities” is the key to improving biowaste recycling across the country.
According to REA, separate biowaste collections for businesses and residents would save money for both councils and businesses alike.
The LARAC also said that a similar report by Environmental Services Association was ‘peddling the myth’ that council waste services are outdated and no longer fit for purpose. Both reports have caused the LARAC ‘dismay’ at the ill-informed notions expressed by the two associations.
According to LARAC, both associations have had “no engagement with local authorities themselves” and yet they claim to possess the knowledge to advise councils on how to improve biowaste services.
Chair of LARAC, Andrew Bird, commented: “…to call for a fundamental change in how local authorities operate without engaging with us first to see how it could work and what the challenges and possible consequences are is disappointing and a missed opportunity.”
Jeremy Jacobs, a director at Renewable Energy Asssocation defended its report, claiming the aim was to assess “the costs associated with separate biowaste collections for businesses and local authorities” and to “add to the discussion about waste and recycling.”
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