The Resource Association has said it is “exasperated” by the Government response to the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) report on the circular economy.
With the Government rejecting many of the recommendations of the report, the Resource Association now hopes that ahead of the general election, political parties will seek to introduce these measures into their manifestos.
Chief executive Ray Georgeson (pictured) said: “We commended the EAC for its important report and analysis, and share their disappointment at the response from the Government. What is clear from the directness of the Government response is how little appetite there appears to be for vital policy changes needed to accelerate the circular economy and end the throwaway society – but we knew this already. Like many other stakeholders in the waste and resources sector, we find this exasperating, as the potential for genuine waste reduction, resource efficiency and green growth with the carbon and jobs benefits that will accrue is still lower on the policy radar than we and many others would wish.
“In what are now the dog days of this Government I see little point in dwelling on the limited vision and severe policy hiatus that has characterised the tenure of successive Ministers and Secretaries of State. Our focus now has to be on working hard as an industry to construct a consensual alternative policy framework and ensuring that all political parties understand the genuine potential of our industry as the general election looms.
“The EAC report is one of several recent reports that would provide manifesto writers and policy developers with a good foundation for their thinking – the volume of recent output shows how hungry our industry is for policy change and how willing it will be to respond and invest further in accelerating the circular economy with strong Government leadership and an ambitious policy framework.”
