ESA wants policy stability in party manifestos

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Ahead of the upcoming General Election on 8 June, the Environmental Services Association has called for political parties to provide policy stability in their manifestos.

ESA executive director Jacob Hayler (pictured) said: “As many within our industry have noted, there has been a policy vacuum for waste and resources in recent years. This has left us in a state of uncertainty for the future of our sector, which has been compounded by Brexit.

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“As the political parties set out their visions for what the next five years would look like under their government, there are three key things we would like to see appear in their manifestos:

1.  Policy stability to underpin investment in waste treatment facilities. A coherent, long-term strategy for waste and resources will enable the sector to plan and attract the investment for much-needed infrastructure development.

2.   Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to make supply chains more circular. Making producers more fully responsible for the end of life of their products will help fund collections and recycling infrastructure while incentivising design for waste minimisation and greater recyclability. 

3.  Continued action to stamp out waste crime. The environmental regulators and tax authorities must be supported to tackle criminal activity from fly-tipping to illegal waste sites which blight communities and undermine the legitimate industry.

“By addressing these three areas, the next Government will help boost resource productivity, create thousands of green jobs, and safeguard the environment.”