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07/10/2009

Party politics - is blue the new red?

Entry from 'Thoughts from the Kerbside' - The Big Wheelie Bin Blog

A thoughtful and sometimes humourous look at the world of waste, brought to you by industry observers. We'd like to create a vibrant blogger community going forward, so if you'd like to become a regular blogger for LAWR, please get in touch - we'd love to hear from you!

Ahh, the Tory conference. I was looking forward to this one. It's nice to have a bit of straight-talking from Shadow Chancellor George Osborne on how debt-ridden Britain will have to pay its way back into the black. Something that is woefully missing from Alistair Darling's battered little red suitcase.

But then again, a public sector pay freeze - for a year - only mirrors what most private sector workers are having to endure. It's a no-brainer, really. What will have more impact is any announcement on public spending cutbacks - and how these will eventually filter down into local authority waste services.

So, any early clues yet on the Conservative Party line when it comes to matters of waste and recycling? There are a few, but nothing too earth shattering. Shadow environment secretary Nick Herbert is obviously looking to make a name for himself and has come out fighting - he reckons the UK is being put to shame by the rest of Europe when it comes to recycling and energy recovery.

"We should see waste as an opportunity for energy with things like anaerobic digestion. We are way behind our EU partners, they are generating far more energy-from-waste, their recycling rates are higher and frankly they shame this country and we can, and will do, a whole lot better," were his precise words.

A strong statement of intent, but not that far removed from the current government push on anaerobic digestion and waste-to-energy. In fact, it's very much in line with current policy thinking. So again, I would say a no-brainer. With the landfill tax escalator steeply rising, we will surely see a natural progression to greater treatment and recovery anyway.

What perhaps is more interesting is Mr Herbert's ringing endorsement of incentives for household recycling. He loves the RecycleBank scheme, a US-style approach which rewards householders for recycling more. It's currently being trialled in Windsor and Maidenhead and by all accounts is going well.

I do think this the future. Where householders get paid - either in vouchers or hard cash - for their waste to be taken away. Whether recyclates or residual waste, it all has a potential value, either as material reuse or energy recovery. And this value can only increase as time goes on.

So, I think the Tories could be onto a winner here. Connect with us, the householders, the common people. Tell us our waste not rubbish, but in fact a resource. And reward us for generating so much of it. Now that would be radical!

Maxine Perella, editor of LAWR

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Is waste still a dirty word when it comes to public perception?

Yes, they don't see the potential value of it
Maybe, but attitudes are slowly changing
No, it has almost become sexy!

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