The Environmental Services Association (ESA) has branded Defra’s decision not to publish further TEEP guidance ‘regrettable’.
Defra official Colin Church tweeted on Friday that no further guidance would be published on when commingled collections would be allowed under the ‘technically, environmentally and economically practicable (TEEP)’ criteria.
But according to ESA director general Barry Dennis, this leaves local authorities facing the uncertainty of having to interpret how this applies themselves.
He said: “Defra’s decision not to provide local authorities with further guidance on TEEP is regrettable, as it leaves local authorities to grapple with the issue on their own and may add to the uncertainties they face in renewing waste collection contracts in the coming months.
“At the least, it would have been helpful if Defra had brought together in one place the various pointers that could assist councils – namely the relevant parts of the Waste Framework Directive, the Commission’s guidance, the England & Wales implementing regulations, and the judicial review judgment.”
