New initiative for waste management

The waste management industry is the latest sector to sign up to guidelines drawn up by the Environment Agency to help it minimise its environmental impact. The Agency has been working with a number of key industries to produce non-binding plans, which outline practices to safeguard the environment. The plan sets out the environmental impacts of the waste management sector and identifies 10 objectives for the next 5 years, which include:

• reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the consumption of raw materials;
• reducing pollution incidents;
• tackling waste crime and illegal operators;
• working to risk based and regulatory and environmental management systems;
• reducing the number of accidents and injuries in the industry.

Most of these objectives are voluntary, and some are part of existing Regulations, but there is no increased obligation on the sector under the plan. It requires goodwill on those working within the industry, and the Agency will review progress annually and publish the results. Such sector plans have already been published for the cement, chemical and nuclear industries, with similar ones planned for water companies, food and drink manufacture and the construction industry.