Waste chiefs have urged ministers to ban export of unprocessed recyclable material.
The Environmental Services Association (ESA) called for the strict move among a suite of measures to boost spending on domestic recycling infrastructure.
In its Corporate Report 2024, published just before Christmas, the body warned that the proposed inclusion of waste in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) from 2028 could “inhibit investment in decarbonisation” of the sector.
ESA chair Michael Topham said: “Full implementation is only three years away, with questions remaining about how to align emissions measurement with a pragmatic process for ensuring costs are both visible and can be fairly passed through to waste producers in order to incentivise recycling and waste reduction behaviours.
“The best way to mitigate ETS carbon costs is by investing in recycling now, particularly for plastics.”
But he added: “Investment will only happen during this parliament if the government successfully delivers the packaging reforms and fixes weak demand for recycled polymer by escalating the Plastic Packaging Tax rate and threshold and fixing policy issues which favour export of plastics rather than domestic reprocessing.
“Additionally, the ESA urges the government to build upon current policy with complementary targeted measures.”
Topham said these could include statutory recycling targets for local authorities; a “robust approach” to defining “efficient and effective” household waste collection services; and an export ban on unprocessed recyclables.
A government spokesperson said: “We are committed to reducing waste by moving to a circular economy. We will move to a future where we keep our resources in use for longer, accelerate the path to net zero and increase investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs.
“To make this happen, we have formed our Circular Economy Taskforce to develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England backed by leaders and experts from across government, industry, academia and relevant non-governmental organisations.”
