Trade Resources Policy & Opinion Bernard Amos Discusses Rise in Landfill Tax and Impact and Opportunity for UK Businesses

Bernard Amos Discusses Rise in Landfill Tax and Impact and Opportunity for UK Businesses

Bernard Amos, CEO of environmental consultancy and contract management firm Helistrat, discusses the recent rise in Landfill Tax and the impact and opportunity for UK businesses

Most of us probably think that when it comes to recycling we are ‘doing a lot already’ so it is probably comes as a surprise to hear that WRAP estimates that, of the 600 million tonnes of products and materials that enter the UK economy each year, only 115 million tonnes of this gets recycled.

The recent Budget saw Landfill Tax rise to £80 for every tonne of material that we send to landfill.  For most businesses this continues to represent a significant proportion of their waste bill.  Left unchecked, bills from waste management companies continue to rise by somewhere in the region of 8% a year – an unnecessary increase given the mitigation opportunities that are available.

Globally, 30% of the worldwide demand for resources in 2030 could be met through available resource improvements and could be worth up to $3.7 trillion each year.  These numbers are perhaps hard to relate to our day-to-day business but there are a number of simple steps that businesses can take to reduce costs, improve their environmental performance and become more resource efficient.

Adopt a resource mind-set – perhaps the hardest change but also the one with greatest potential is in people’s hearts and minds.  A change in thinking from waste to resources will help develop a culture in which people can take a view across an organisation or a product lifecycle – ultimately improving the efficiency of the whole business.

Challenge – do not be afraid to challenge what you have been doing or what you have been told.  New technologies and services are constantly coming on to the market which may provide opportunity.  It is important to remember that the service you receive should be designed to suit your business, not your service provider.

Review – undertake a constructive review of your existing business processes, your ‘waste’ production and the services that are in place. Whilst this can be done in-house, it is often beneficial to work with a third party who may be more objective and whose view is not influenced by the past or unrelated factors.

Design – develop a new system to optimise your use of resources, first by minimising the amount of waste produced then optimising reuse and recycling for the remaining materials.  Any residual materials can then often be used to recover energy, either by being used as RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) or through Energy from Waste facilities, creating the potential for a zero waste to landfill operation.

Implement & Communicate – when implementing a new system the focus is often naturally on its operation.  Just as critical, however, is communicating the new solution to your employees and developing the resource mind-set. The best system in the world can be derailed by a single person misusing it. Contamination of material segregated for recycling, for example, can negate everyone else’s efforts and increasing costs.

Manage - all too often businesses implement new services but then fail to monitor them.  The availability of resource management data has improved dramatically in recent years and continues to do so.  The important thing is to get the right information.  Ensure you are receiving data that provides you with the information you need to make business decisions.

Whilst it is still not clear what will happen to Landfill Tax rates in coming years, we can be fairly certain that the Treasury will preserve its relative cost.  Focusing on the way you manage your resources is not just an environmental initiative, it makes good business sense, enabling you to mange future costs and to develop a more sustainable business model.

Source: http://www.packagingnews.co.uk/comment/soapbox/landfill-tax-impact-and-opportunity-for-uk-businesses/
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Landfill Tax: Impact and Opportunity for UK businesses